In The Beginning
by My red-headed idol
Summary: This is the beginning of my personal take on the KH canon, of how Axel met and learned to live with, the two most important people in his life as a Nobody. M rated for later chapters. Quite a bit yaoi, lots of friendship and pasta.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Kingdom Hearts, not the people, not the places,etc..... they all belong to Square and Disney and I hope they do something really great with them in the upcoming games!!

This is the first time I have ventured putting up a first chapter, without having finished the story. Might be a big mistake. Please review though and maybe it'll spur me on with the storyline.

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In The Beginning: When Axel Met Demyx

As Axel slowly trudged back home through gloomy streets, peopled by inarticulate grey Nobodies, he wished, not for the first time, that he had never joined the stupid Organization, he wished that he had had any other realistic choice. Sometimes, like today, he wondered if just fading into the ether wasn't a better alternative. He was bored, and tired of having to live with a crowd of people he didn't much like, and who didn't much like each other. They didn't even really have a common goal, just an amorphous connection to each other, based on their singular anatomy, and the fact that they could still pass for human, some more than others, he thought wryly, but all quite different from these grey shapes that roamed the streets down here.

Organization XIII, but usually more like Organization X or XI, depending on who had been killed, turned into a dusk, or disappeared, usually to be hunted down and then turned into a dusk, or killed, which ever satisfied the Superior's current mood. Everyone kept the number they were assigned when they joined, a bit like having a position on a soccer team. He had joined just after the current numbers X, XI and XII, and had filled the recently vacated, (he hadn't even asked how), number VIII slot. After his job today, he knew IX now needed replacing, and XIII was only notable for the fact that there actually wasn't one. Really kind of an Organization XII at best! Xemnas kept telling them, interminably, that XIII would join them shortly, and a place must be kept available for him, a unique Nobody with the power to wield something called the Keyblade, which would deliver them Kingdom Hearts.

Axel wasn't interested in Kingdom Hearts, to be honest, the whole 'power over the kingdoms of light and dark and all those who lived within them concept' was another thing that bored him solid, he just wanted one little heart for himself, and as long as that card was still on the table, he knew he would probably stick with their megalomaniac Superior, however ridiculous he came across, and whatever stupidly pointless mission he was sent on. Like today's wholly pointless trip to check for his paranoid boss, who trusted no-one except maybe, Saix, that number IV had honestly changed the recently departed number IX into a dusk, accidentally, during the course of one of his experiments. Note to self, NEVER volunteer for an experiment, avoid Vexen like the plague that he was. Got it memorized, Axel baby?

As he neared their extremely inconvenient residence, with the beginnings of an enormous heart, Kingdom Hearts, taking shape in the void overhead, he noticed that the conversationless grey beings seemed more than usually agitated. An explanation was not long in coming, as they parted to reveal a pink-haired, young man walking towards him down the slope.

You really OUGHT to be forgiven for thinking Marluxia was gay, thought Axel, knowing that Marluxia would NEVER forgive anyone for that. Even for someone without a heart, he was the coldest, most dispassionate bastard of a killer that Axel had ever met. Not that he'd had much experience of killing, at all, until the Organization, but this guy could stab you in the back whilst smiling to your face.

"Axel," he purred, as he drew level, "well met, my friend. The big boys were beginning to wonder if you were coming back at all!"

"Well, they should try looking for a one particular goddamn dusk, in a city crammed to the rafters with goddamn identical ones, none of whom, in case they hadn't noticed, have the power of verbal communication!" replied an extremely ticked off Axel, aware he had been sent on this mission since he was the Organization's most recent addition, and therefore, whipping-boy, at least until they replaced number IX – and then he'd wipe that smug look off Marluxia's face.

"I'm sure it was an extremely arduous task for you, but important events have occurred in your absence, and everyone is in the Meeting Hall, and quite anxious for your news, I'm sure!" said Marluxia with a half-smile, (or was it a sneer, Axel couldn't decide), on his lips that indicated that whatever Axel had to say was of absolutely no importance whatsoever.

"I presume you found our erstwhile companion," he tittered finding something amusing about it all, "well of course you must have, or you really wouldn't have been able to come back, now would you?"

Did the guy have to camp it up to provoke people? Axel called on all of his willpower, to resist punching the pink poodle's lights out. He dug his hands into the pockets of his robe, and merely mumbled, "You can tell them I'm on my way, just need to stop in at the little boys' room," and throw up, he thought to himself.

Nixone's days had already been numbered, after a run in with Marluxia the previous week, and now Axel wondered if the experiment had really been an accident, or whether the number XI had found a way of dealing with the issue without dirtying his own hands.

He made a quick stop by his room to change his robe which was soaked at the hem, the extra weight making him hunch more than usual. When he arrived at the Meeting Hall, by far the most grandiose room in their convoluted palace, he was more than a little surprised to see all the seats, all thirteen seats – bar his own, were occupied.

"About time, Axel," intoned Xemnas, in his best Superior voice. "Since you are now here I am presuming that you tied up our loose end, so to speak, and the matter can now be laid to rest," he allowed himself a small smile. "As you can probably see, we too, have had an eventful day! Let me introduce you to our two latest members, who finally complete our little family!"

Axel, already sickened by Marluxia, was now feeling an even more urgent need to throw up, and was only prevented from it by the realisation, that it would probably induce a barf-fest, judging by the looks on most of the other faces. Larxene, in particular, had gone a shade of green that made her hair look even more bottle-blonde than usual, and definitely made her look more like the insect that she was.

"On your right, and taking the new number nine seat, is Demyx," he said, airily indicating the ash-blond mullet with sea-green eyes, now emerging from under his hood, and making Axel forget all about his previous desire to chuck up. The genuine beam, that emanated from the young man's face, made Axel wonder if there hadn't been a mistake somewhere – this guy had to have a heart!

"Demyx, has power over water," he continued, after what he considered to be a suitably dramatic pause.

"Great, a drip!" muttered Marluxia under his breath, Xigbar, who was officially the Organization's number II, and a founder member, was less circumspect about who heard him.

"Still wet behind the ears are you, boy!" he laughed, creasing up at his own joke, and nearly slipping a long way down off his seat.

Axel, expecting the normal rude response that Xigbar's utterances provoked, turned to his right at the silence, and noticed that the comment had wiped the smile off the blond's face. Now, he looked genuinely hurt. Two things occurred to Axel simultaneously, first, that there was definitely no way that this Demyx had a big empty space in his chest like the rest of them, and second, that he wasn't going to last here two minutes without someone to look after him, a thought, which Axel realised was making him feel pleasantly warm.

He smiled his broadest at his neighbour and said, loud enough for Xig to hear, even over his guffaws, "Take no notice of the Cyclops over there, he's just a number 2," and he wiggled his backside suggestively in his seat, indicating what kind of a number 2, he meant.

He was rewarded for his effort, by another beam from the blond, and a "Shut up, you psychotic moron!" from the dark-haired man with the eyepatch.

"Moving on," boomed Xemnas, unwilling to see this, as so many meetings, degenerate into insult trading before he had got to his big news. "On my left, in seat Thirteen," he said emphasising the word heavily, "I want you all to welcome" – again the emphasis – "Roxas, wielder of the Keyblade, and our key to Kingdom Hearts!" he finished dramatically, and with a very self-satisfied smile on his face.

A very small, very young sandy blond, with piercing blue eyes, let his hood down to his shoulders, looking a little apprehensive after Demyx's introduction.

"Oh, for god's sake, Xemnas," bellowed a usually quiet and introspective Lexaeus, voicing what most of them were thinking, "what next? Look's more like you're planning to open a kindergarten than Kingdom Hearts!"

The blond was now shaded a bright, but not very flattering tomato colour, and Xemnas, by contrast had a face like thunder. "Silence! The Keyblade chooses its bearer, not the other way round! If the Keyblade has chosen Roxas it is because he has qualities and abilities that you all obviously lack, or it would have chosen one of you! I will hear no more on the subject, be very mindful of that, or you will be the first to feel what the Keyblade, and its wielder are capable of! Saix," he turned to his effective deputy, "I will escort our new arrivals to their rooms, you can deal with any other business and close this meeting!" and Xemnas opened portals in front of the three of them, and indicated that the rookies should move forward into theirs as he was doing.

Axel caught Demyx's eye before he disappeared. "I'm in room 8, if you feel like company later!"

Once they had left, the meeting degenerated into the usual free-for-all. Xigbar was still furious with an Axel, who, relishing his new status, no longer the newbie, was joyfully flinging more and more colourful insults across the room at him. Lexaeus and Zexion were having a heated debate on the merits of ever younger blood in the Organization, Marluxia was making improper suggestions to Larxene, which, for once, appeared to be well received, Luxord was snoring, pissed as usual, Xaldin was trying to get comfortable with a men's magazine he had pulled from under his seat cushion, Vexen was drawing diagrams and formulae on a pad, oblivious to everything and everyone around him, and Saix was looking very bored with them all. It was patently obvious that no more business would be done that day but he felt a duty to his hero and Superior to keep the aggravating bunch contained in the hall, at least until Xemnas had settled the newbies into their rooms.

After checking his watch for the thirtieth or fortieth time, and feeling that enough time had passed, Saix yelled "Cut! Meeting over! Get the hell out of here, and take any rubbish you brought in with you!" he added, as he saw Xaldin pushing his magazine back under his cushion.

Axel decided to portal quickly, Xig was not in a good mood, and whilst he wouldn't have tried to actually shoot Axel in the Meeting Hall, a corridor was another matter. He thought he might have to portal a lot for the next day or so. At least their rooms were as sacrosanct as the Hall. Meals, however, might be more of a problem, especially if Xemnas didn't attend, which he often didn't these days, preferring to dine in Saix's buttkissing company, alone. That was usually OK, kept them out of everyones' hair, and they had the fun of watching Larxene's face at the collective noises several men could make during and after eating! He had to smile, as he landed conveniently on his bed.

Once on safe ground, he grabbed for a towel, and to take a much needed shower. He could easily miss a meal or two if he had to. It wasn't if any of them actually had to eat to survive, it was just a very tactile pleasure, as opposed to the emotional ones they couldn't do anymore, and not one he'd give up unless absolutely necessary!

He had just moved his weary body off the bed and in the direction of his ensuite when he heard a knock at the door. Who knocked? They screamed, they yelled, they vainly threatened to portal, and in the case of Vexen, occasionally just walked in thinking they were somewhere else, but no-one knocked.

"Yeah?" yelled Axel, "Who is it?" Even Xig wasn't dumb enough to think he'd get invited in.

"Uh, Axel? That is your name isn't it? Axel?" a rather gentle sounding voice enquired, "We, that is, Roxas and me, Demyx, wondered if we could take you up on your offer of a bit of company, only we're not too sure what we're supposed to be doing exactly!"

Join the club, thought Axel, but out loud he sounded much more the old hand, well, old new hand!

"Just give me five minutes to shower and then I'm all yours," he said, getting that weird, warm tingly feeling, which technically he couldn't feel, again at the thought of seeing Demyx.

"OK, we'll just wait in Roxas's room, it's closest."

"Don't be idiots," Axel yelled through the wood. "Come in and wait here, I'm just going to shower!"

They walked in to a sight they didn't expect, a firm cute butt with a dolphin tattoo, and a similarly decorated shoulder disappearing round the door to his bathroom.

"Hope he's got more on, on the way back," said a tomato-coloured Roxas, unused to this lack of inhibition, "Oh, I don't know," grinned Demyx, "he might have more dolphins!"

"EEUUW!" said Roxas, "that's so wrong, somehow!"

"So you don't think he's absolutely gorgeous then, or you don't like dophins?" asked Demyx, not quite loud enough to be heard over the shower next door.

"No, Demyx, dolphins are fine, but I kind of like girls. Well, I like A girl. Problem is, I can picture her, I know that I know her, I would do anything for her, but I don't think I've ever met her, and I don't know, or at least, I don't remember, her name."

"That's odd," admitted Demyx. "Strange... I think I only liked girls before, but Axel... the minute I saw him something just went 'Bing!'

"Let's look at the wardrobe," Roxas suggested, "I just heard the shower go off!"

"Hell, he's only got the same bits as us Roxas, and I don't think they're that bothered about that kind of thing here! Not quite sure where that weirdo, sick looking female fits in, but for the most part I think this is just all guys together! Like at camp!"

"Demyx, I've only just turned 15, I think! I don't think I've ever been to camp, I've never seen anyone else's bits, and I really don't want today to be the day!" whispered Roxas, insistently.

Axel had caught the last sentence, and smiled to himself, wickedly, as he briskly towelled off, causing little sparks to flutter over his skin. His better self came through though, for once, the kids in the other room had had enough frights for one day, and he wrapped the long bright green towel round his waist, still revealing another dolphin on his right calf.

"Hey, you two, I'm truly honoured, thought you might have had enough of us all after that meeting!" Axel greeted them, silently noting that they would definitely have had enough had they stayed a moment longer!

"I'm sure that everyone's really nice once you get to know them!" beamed the blond who, barring his Nobody scent which, up close, was now obvious to Axel, was far too nice to be devoid of a heart.

The younger blond didn't look quite so convinced, but smiled anyway at Demyx's infectious grin.

"Don't let me be the one to disabuse you of that opinion! They'll all do it themselves in their own time! But seriously, there are a couple you really want to watch out for, trust me, this is NOT camp! First of all, don't even look at the female unless you're ready to get torn to shreds – literally – by her! She's vicious. And the one that resembles a pink poodle – the same, doubled. The others are pretty much all mouth and no trousers, but don't turn your back on the blond goatee when he's drunk, it's not just what he might do, but the fact that he can manipulate time to ensure you won't remember a thing!"

He could see he had their attention from the looks on their faces, and carried on imparting the useful stuff he wished he'd known straight off, before they had to go to dinner.

"Oh, and never tell Saix anything that you don't want Xemnas to know, immediately. On the other hand, if you want Saix to disappear for a while, tell him you have something to confide which he must not tell Xemnas!" he smiled, amused at the look of rapt attention on their faces, and the number of times he had used that particular ruse to good effect.

"Last, but definitely not least," said Axel, remembering the fate of the previous number nine, and really not willing to see the same happen to this new and attractive model, "NEVER agree to any of Vexen's experiments! Got it memorised?"

Both young blonds were sitting on the bed, eyes and mouths wide open, and heightened colour on their faces. Axel, thought his information had been useful, but not that stunning. Then he realised that whilst he had been talking he had unconsciously finished towelling off, and begun getting dressed.

"Well, I hope you caught the info as well," he chuckled, "I don't do repeat performances! Oh, and that's another thing...Roxas, isn't it?...you'll have to get used to the fact that we are all rather inconsiderate of others, no heart so no feelings, well at least not the of the more refined kind!"

Demyx was the first to recover his equanimity.

"Xemnas mentioned how we wouldn't feel the same now, but I kind of do!" noting to himself, that he had never felt quite that way about a girl, but neither had he ever seen one naked.

"What you think you're feeling are just trace emotions from before. You're new, in time they'll fade, become just a memory of a trace of a feeling. It's gradual and you don't really notice it, you just kind of adjust."

"So, how come you're being so nice to us, then?" queried a now more comfortable, Roxas.

"Ah, I'm fairly new too. I still remember a bit, and to be honest, it gets a bit lonely and boring stuck here with that load of weirdos for your only company. You'll realise it soon enough for yourselves, probably by the end of dinner! Talking of which, we'd better get down to the dining room. Xemnas will probably be in attendance tonight, in honour of your arrival, which should guarantee that things won't degenerate too much, but normally, don't expect much in the way of table manners. And if you want to ensure you get something you like, hopefully, uncontaminated by any of the others, make sure you get down early! Got it memorised?"

"Axel," Demyx asked, a bit shyly, "Is there no one here you have a good word for?"

"Er," replied Axel, a bit surprised by the question, "How about no! Until you came today, I actually thought that I was the only vaguely sane Nobody. Of course," he teased, grinning "that may still prove to be the case!"

They all smiled together at that, and if any of them had had real feelings, they would have sworn they were enjoying themselves.

By now Axel was fully dressed, "Oh yeah, and another thing you should know, you don't need to wear your uniform, except on duty or at meeting, or if you get called to see Xemnas! In fact, unless you want to be thought of as a buttkisser like Saix, I'd get them off right away!"

"Problem there," said Roxas. "This is literally all I have to wear, except what I came in, which really doesn't look too good, since it was mainly white and got rather soiled on the way. Xemnas told me to leave everything when he came for me, didn't even give me a chance to go home and say goodbye!"

"Same," said Demyx, "that Saix guy told me this new robe would be all I'd ever need now. Made me change before we portalled!"

"Conniving bastards! Well, we are not going to let them get away with it. There must be something in my wardrobe that'll fit you, even if the colours are completely wrong for blonds, but there's no way you are going into dinner dressed like that, especially after what you've just told me!"

After a brief rummage he threw them some jeans and T-shirts, and then looked at them expectantly.

"Er.." Roxas began, "is there anyw.."

"Sorry, LADIES," grinned Axel, "I did mention that we don't bother to stand on ceremony, but you can use my bathroom if you want. I'd go and stand in the corridor, but there is a very real chance that Xigbar might shoot me, so I'd rather portal directly into Xemnas presence from here. You should know, your room is sacrosanct, so is the Meeting Hall and any location the Superior is in, well unless you want to die in a hurry, but all other areas are fair game and right now he's pretty mad at me."

"You kill each other?" Demyx looked horrified.

"Kill, maim, turn into lesser nobodies, yeah pretty much," ruminated Axel, unpeturbed by it all these days, except when he was a target.

"Xemnas, told us we were here to kill the Heartless, to change the future for the better of everyone! To reclaim our hearts! He said nothing about killing people!" Roxas added, very perturbed as he returned from the bathroom, where he had been listening, in Axel's overlong jeans, and too tight T.

"Well, he was partly telling the truth," Ax noted, as Demyx took Roxas's place in the bathroom, "he just missed out a lot of the little details, like where the hearts come from, how Kingdom Hearts is formed, and that Nobodies technically are not people, etc. No doubt he's waiting until you are a little more acclimatized to our way of life!" said Axel, still a little hazy on the detail himself, and not wholly willing to think about it, in case he had to admit that he wasn't entirely comfortable with it himself.

"But, hey, don't worry, there's only a few who are maniacal enough to actually try and kill one of us, and I can't see you deliberately winding any of them up. Xig will give up in a day or so, he's way too lazy to keep up a vendetta, and he's got the memory of a retarded goldfish!" concluded Axel, as Demyx came back in.

Somewhat surprised, he noted that Demyx's hairstyle was apparently deliberate, having been regelled back in place, and found himself wondering if his first assessment of Demyx's sanity had been correct, but after a quick mental tryout of various other styles on the blond youth, decided that it actually rather suited him. "At least he fits into the clothes better than Roxas," thought Axel, "in fact, he looks better in them than I do. OMG but he's gorgeous!" and before his staring became embarrassing for them both he turned to Roxas and asked, "Did Xemnas show you how to portal? He forgot to show me and I spent a week wandering the corridors, trying to find rooms which have no other access!"

"Yeah, he mentioned your story when he showed us!" laughed Roxas, not adding that Xemnas had referred to Axel as a complete moron in the telling of it.

"Well, if you're ready guys...Dinner awaits, and since we are a tad late, I strongly suggest you check your plates before you eat, with his Mightiness there it's unlikely anyone will have tried anything, but you never know!" and with that he portalled, the two newbies right behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or concepts in this story, but I love KH and most of what happens in it!

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In The Beginning: Dinner, As Demyx Sees It.

They arrived in the dining room almost simultaneously. At the sight of Axel, Xigbar let out something that sounded like a growl, but Xemnas's loud greeting to the two new members drowned it out.

"So glad you found it OK, especially with Axel for a guide," said a not entirely happy Xemnas, still managing a rather frightening smile.

"Oh, we thought he could do with the help after what you told us!" Roxas improvised quickly, softening Xemnas smile, and causing the rest of the room to crease up at Axel's expense.

Not that he cared, he had noticed that his plate was free of any telltale signs of interference, and had already sat down to enjoy one of life, in this weirdo community's, few pleasures.

Demyx sat down next to Axel at the oversized round table, in the chair with a nine on it. Ax, whose mouth was full, just nodded at Demyx that his plate appeared to be untouched too, and with a hand gesture invited him to tuck in.

Dem did, and used the opportunity to look around the table at what Ax had described as a crowd of weirdos. True, they we're a little different from most people he had known, but then so was he now. Determined to make the best of it, he tried to think of a positive thing about each one of them.

First, the boss. Well, he had been effusive in his welcome, even if he hadn't been exactly truthful, and he seemed very fond of Saix. Did he really just blow him a kiss? OK, not a place he wanted to go.

Demyx decided to assess, the number two of Axel's wiggle. Difficult since the look he was giving Axel made him look like a brutal killer, and that eyepatch wasn't helping. When Xig noticed him looking and he heard an actual growl emanate from Xigbar's throat he decided that he could assess him later – or never!

Xaldin, in chair three was smiling broadly. At last, Dem thought, someone normal. Then he noticed that Xaldin's hands spent more time doing something under the table than using his cutlery. He was actually turning the pages of his magazine, but Demyx who was not in a position to see that, decided that some things were just not right in public – and moved on to the slightly strange and quiet guy in seat 4.

This man's power had to be creeping people out, thought Dem. What he was doing to his food with his knife and fork looked like dissection in a lab, and when he did look up and smile at Dem, Dem felt sure it was the way a cat looked at a mouse before it pounced. Shivering up his spine, he wondered if Axel might actually be right about these guys. Still he had several more to go, and he already knew that Roxas and Axel were kind of OK.

Number 5. This guy was tall even in his seat, brawny, and wolfing down his food. When his eyes met Dem's though, he drew a complete blank. There was nothing. No recognition, no welcome smile, it was as if nothing lived in the body. Dem tried smiling at him, and drew another complete blank. OK, the guy's an enigma, thought Dem, but at least no bad vibes.

He turned his head to the number 6. Purple, interesting choice of hair colour, was his first thought. His second nearly caused him to be sick, as he noticed that the only guy around the same age as himself, and his two new acquaintances, was making very sick suggestive motions towards the creep dissecting his food, whilst pointing at diagrams in a book open next to him on the table. OMG was nothing right in this place?

He already had a suspicion that he might not find a redeeming feature in number 7, but being Demyx, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. This was the guy who had brought him here without a change of clothes, and who bossguy was blowing kisses at. At first sight Dem had been impressed by him, tall and statuesque, with flowing blue locks and an interesting criss-cross scar, not to mention his apparent concern for his, Demyx's, wellbeing. Now watching his sickeningly coy looks in Xemnas's direction, he felt he had to turn his head before he threw up a perfectly tasty meal.

He found it difficult to assess Axel, partly because he was sat right next to him, partly because he already felt like they were getting quite close, after all he was wearing the guy's clothes, and partly because he found Ax's proximity made rational thought about him impossible.

The man on his other side was equally difficult to assess. It was the goatee Axel had warned him about, and worryingly he was already quite definitely very drunk, one hand resting on the back of Demyx's chair, and his head lolling to the side, an inane grin plastered on it. Demyx edged a little closer to Axel, and carried on his virtual tour.

By the time Demyx got to the pink-haired guy, he was getting up to leave, in deep conversation with the weird looking bottle-blonde. Immediately noticing Demyx's gaze on him, he raised his right eyebrow, and then smiled the coldest smile Demyx thought he had ever seen. It made him feel like an insect, which he supposed had to be better than looking like one, as his blonde companion did. Her response to Demyx had been to grin maniacally and beckon him with her index finger. He felt like a fly in a spider's web and felt another shiver run up his spine.

He knew Roxas better than anyone else at the table already since they had spent most of the day together, and catching Roxas's eye, he waved vaguely around the table and raised his shoulders questioningly. Roxas just shook his head. He had apparently from what Demyx had seen, been earwigged by the boss all the meal, when said boss hadn't been blowing kisses down the table.

"Couldn't eat another thing," said Axel, pushing his plate away, "and I don't know about you Dem, but I'd like to get out of here before people actually start talking, and you have to field idiotic questions from stupid people," he said looking straight at Xigbar, who looked more like falling asleep than anything else, sprawled back on his chair with his one eye closed, until "Shut up you psychotic moron!" boomed across the table.

"OK by me," said Demyx, feeling a little down that his exercise in humanity had yielded little, "and I think we should take Roxas with us. Xemnas seems to have him cornered, and he doesn't look like he's having a blast!"

"Consider it sorted," said Axel, turning to his other side, and giving his attention to Saix.

Within minutes Saix was having a word in Xemnas's ear, and the pair of them portalled out leaving Roxas free.

"Now's your chance," Axel said to Demyx, "grab Roxas and we'll meet back at mine. I'm off before Xig notices that the Superior just portalled." He almost instantly wasn't there, as a flurry of bullets hit the black ether where he had been.

"Damn. I missed." drawled Xigbar, who was still sprawled back on his chair, with his eye closed.

Demyx jumped as he suddenly felt a hand gripping his thigh, and turned to his right to find that the goatee was not quite as asleep as he thought, and was winking at him, suggestively.

"Rox," Dem managed in a slightly strangulated voice, to his new friend whose head had turned to follow the bullets, "we need to go and do that thing now with Axel, don't we?"

Seeing his new friend's predicament, he immediately agreed. Luxord, of the goatee, merely raised his eyebrows questioningly, having completely misunderstood, as usual, and then released his grip. "Sorry, boys, didn't realise Axel had a prior claim on you both, but if you ask me, that's just plain greedy! Well, if either of you change your mind..." he said, leering unattractively.

The two youths just portalled as quickly as their new skill would allow.

Axel now both recognised and expected the knock at the door, but this time it sounded more urgent.

"Come in you two! I take it from your knock things got interesting after I departed," commented Axel, who was helping himself to a drink from the mini-bar next to his bed. "Help yourselves," he said, waving at the assortment of bottles.

"Too damn right! You missed those bullets by millimetres! How can you be so calm! And what did you tell Saix?" squeaked Demyx, helping himself to a rather large gin and tonic.

"As you just pointed out, I missed the bullets. Therefore I didn't know about them, therefore I am calm. I am still calm now. And I just told Saix, the Superior was looking really cozy with his new toyboy!" chuckled Axel, as Roxas's colour rose. "So, anything else I missed?" he added, looking interested.

"Well, you're right about goatee guy, he touched up my leg, and what the hell is going on with the rest of those perverts. They ALL do weird things. I had hoped you were joking, but I seriously have to question their motives! Why does the Superior blow kisses at that blue-haired guy? And what's the story with that young guy with the purple hair? And what about that big beefy bloke, it's like he was on another planet!" Demyx spluttered, as Roxas searched in vain for some plain fruit juice amongst the alcohol and mixers.

"I told you they'd piss you off without any help from me by the end of dinner, and looks like I'm right again. Axel one, Organization nil!" he said, licking his finger and drawing a one in the air.

"Ax, do you have anything that isn't alcoholic or fizzy?" asked Roxas who was still searching for a drink.

"No, kid. I'd apologise except for the fact that I'm not really sorry, I don't feel emotions, it's nothing personal, you'll get used to it! There's drinking water in the bathroom, and I'll make sure that I stock whatever your favourite poison is, in the future." Axel added magnanimously.

"It's either pineapple or mango, or a mix," supplied Roxas as he headed for the bathroom.

"To answer your questions, Demyx, our beloved Superior, revels in the affections of the blue-haired psychopath, has done ever since he joined, second, I should have warned you about Zexion, avoid him at all costs. He's very clever, very cunning, another complete psycho, but maybe the most dangerous, partly because of his intelligence but also because of the sick alliance he seems to have formed with that mental scientist. Don't let him catch your scent, if you can avoid it - if you see him sniffing - run! Last but not least Lexaeus, he's not so bad but you're right, most of the time he is on a different planet these days. He kind of goes walkabout, it's his way of coping with all the psychos around him. When he first came, apparently, he used to cry a lot. Now he just disappears inside himself, but he is one of the few in here whom you can actually talk to, when his mind is present, of course. Any more questions – or, should we go out for a bit, doesn't look like we're being called into action tonight," he noted, glancing at his computer screen for any summons from the Superior.

"We can go out?" Roxas, who was now ensconced in the only armchair, asked. "Where? Do we have a curfew or anything?"

"Dammit, you really are soooo young," smiled Axel, who was stretched out on the bar side of his king-size bed, with Demyx sprawled out on the other. "Sure we can go out, no curfews, just have to take our cellphones and be ready to jump into action if called – well, that's the theory anyway."

"How does that work?" queried Demyx, "I mean goatee guy was already wasted at dinner."

"Ah, Luxord, it's OK for him, he manipulates time and has this neat trick where he goes back to when he was sober and then remanifests in the present. Yes, he can do it for others, and no, you never want him to, he requires payment of a kind that, trust me, you don't want to give! Got it memorized?"

"Think so," said Roxas, who decided he had to ask the question that was burning in his mind, but which he was a little embarrassed about, forgetting that Axel, being supposedly emotionless, was unlikely to be either embarrassed or offended.

"Ax, is everyone here gay?"

"Gay? Don't even think that word near Marluxia or your head won't stay on your shoulders too much longer! No, everyone isn't gay although I can see why you would think it, but most of us do swing both ways. Strangely it's the one thing no-one kind of talks about. Most of us would describe ourselves as straight, yet that's blatantly rubbish. It's being cooped up in this place together so much, with so little to do. Sex kind of passes the time, and it's something you can feel – important to people who can't feel emotionally, and no-one except Marluxia would ever go near the insect lady, so given that everyone else is male, it's kind of Hobson's Choice. Interesting choice of question, shortstop."

"Thanks for the 411 on that, I think." Roxas said, wondering if he'd end up the same, and deciding that getting out of there, even for a little while sounded like a really good idea.

Apparently Demyx had the same idea, as at that moment he chipped in, "Hey Ax, you mentioned going out, where is there to go? Didn't seem to be much out there from what we could see today."

"Hell no we don't want to go out anywhere round here, and not just 'cos I've got Xig on my tail. Have you seen the other Nobodies? The ones who didn't turn out like us? No, we'll go to a world with some action, and people who actually talk, and look vaguely normal. What's your preference – a club, a movie, go-karting, bowling, trawling a red-light zone, mini-golf?"

The two newcomers both creased up simultaneously.

"Am I missing something?" queried Axel, trying to work out what he had said to amuse them.

"Ax," said Demyx, when he could speak again, "it's just very strange for us to hear you offer a tour of a red-light district to a 15 year old and, in the same sentence as mini-golf!"

"Oh, again, you'll get used to the incongruities. In the meantime, what do you want to do tonight? Roxas?"

"Well, I think I'll pass on the red-light area," said Roxas, still chuckling a bit, "and ditto on the mini-golf, I was always hopeless at that, and I doubt things will have changed, even if I used the keyblade as a putter. Is there any way we can go and check on our homes, you know, check the folks we've left behind are OK first, and then maybe a club 'cos I've never been to one, but how would I get in? What about you, Dem? You want to do something in particular?"

"I'm up for the home view and club idea as well, I love dancing, and music - and I'm really missing my iPod! Maybe I can pick it up if we go home! And I'm really missing my family, but they are all gone now, I suppose!" he said, suddenly remembering the Heartless attack, and losing all his boyish enthusiasm.

"Hometowns and club it is then," said Axel cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood again, "but you cannot be seen by anyone you know, so Dem you'll just have to buy a new iPod," said Ax, skating over the whole family issue since he felt nothing and could not empathize, "and as for how we get in to a club, it's simple, we portal in. No need to deal with big beefy bouncers on doors, and once we're in everyone assumes we've been ID checked, so we get served. Neat, huh?"

"My only problem is deciding which of my favourite clubs to take you to....oh,shit, what now?" he moaned, as his computer screen began to flash. "We may have to put our little trip on hold, let me just see what the bossman wants."

Axel got up and settled himself in front of the screen. "Blah dee blah, blah dee blah, Kingdom Hearts, blah dee blah. What an arsehole! OK trip's back on, leave your cellphones here, and let's move it! You didn't just see the screen flashing, and you didn't read the message!" which was partially true since only Axel had read it.

"What is it, Ax?" asked Roxas, still enough in awe of Xemnas to feel a little apprehensive about ignoring an order.

"The arsehole has called a motivational meeting. Don't worry, we won't be the only ones absent. Usually only three people turn up to those things. Saix because he's attached to Xemnas with glue or something we don't want to think about, Vexen because he's always on the computer and has no excuse for not seeing the summons, and Zexion to keep an eye on Vexen and make sure he doesn't miss a piece of information he can later use for his own ends. Lux will claim to have passed out, Xig that he didn't see the screen because his eye was focussed elsewhere, Lex that he was in switched off mode, Xaldin that he was engrossed in one of his pervy magazines, and the list goes on! We weren't here, I didn't tell you to take your phones out with you, and I forgot mine in the excitement of showing you two a good time. Got it memorized? Now, let's make not being here true," he said opening a portal.

Their first portal was not so far, Twilight Town. Roxas wanted to go up and see the sunset from the station tower, and get a glimpse of the place he used to hang out with his friends, Demyx pleaded off, explaining he suffered from really bad vertigo, and settled for a sea-salt ice cream on the station steps.

When Roxas had had his fill of looking out over his birthplace, they portalled to Traverse Town, where they sat by Demyx's favourite fountain for a few minutes, and from where he could see his old home, now looking empty and lifeless. It felt strange to be able to look but not touch. He couldn't take it for long, it just felt too nostalgic and incredibly sad, and pretty soon they were ready to move on.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: As for previous chapters, this is going to be too long for one each!

* * *

In The Beginning: Axel Entertains

"Whoa!!" yelled Roxas as he landed face down on top of a facedown Demyx.

"Was that supposed to happen?" he asked of the pair of feet in front of him, which belonged to a perfectly upright Axel.

"You'll learn to control it better, the more often you do it! Short distances are easy, like going to the dining room, or trips to local worlds, but when you cross the boundaries between realities, or cover major distances, you have to learn to control the extra force you use or you end up like that!" chuckled Axel. "And believe you me, it does not give the Heartless or any other enemies the most favourable impression of your abilities!" he added.

"And you couldn't have mentioned it before because..." queried a now upright Demyx, who judging, from the look on Ax's face, strongly suspected Axel had omitted telling them for his own amusement.

"Wasn't time. I forgot. Pick one!" replied Axel offhandedly.

"Well where exactly are we?" asked Roxas.

"In the downstairs toilet corridor of my favourite nightclub, Firestorm, and from the sounds of things, it's just hotting up. Just to warn you, you might want to be the tinciest bit careful here, it has the best music, but the people are in kind of a dimensional warp, and things can get a bit heated."

"Exactly where is this Firestorm?" asked Demyx, feeling just a little concerned, the atmosphere here was heavy, and very warm on his usually cool frame.

"Honestly? I'm not positive. It's somewhere in Hell, I think the entrance area. Sort of where people get put while the powers that be decide on their eventual fate." Axel said in an even tone, his face thoughtful.

"Hold up there, cowboy! You've brought us to Hell? You're telling me anyone we might meet in there is dead? Your favourite nightclub is full of dead people? You really must spend too much time cooped up with those clowns at the castle." Roxas spluttered.

"First off, shortstop, we're here and we're not dead – well, not in the final sense of the word. A lot of the people in there are just visiting from other dimensions too. Some nearly human, some who can pass for human, and some who were human. They're a bit speciesist on the door here. Everyone though is here to have fun, and sometimes the entertainment can get truly wicked! Come on, if you don't like it after a bit we'll move on to somewhere else," said Axel as he walked off in the direction of the bar.

The other two boys rolled their eyes at each other, and having few other options since they didn't know exactly how to create an interdimensional portal, followed.

If the corridor had been hot and heavy, it was nothing compared to the bar and dancefloor, which was also heaving with a gyrating mass who could have written the book on Dirty Dancing. It was hard to tell where one body ended and the next one started, not quite the kind of dancing that Demyx had had in mind. Roxas's head was tilted to one side, as he stared trying to figure out who's limbs were whose with one particular couple, but gave up when he'd counted five arms, and was being glared at by one of the heads.

"Where'd Axel go, Dem?"

"I imagine he headed for the bar, and something cold, given the heat in this place," said the taller blond who was really feeling the heat, given that his body temperature was naturally somewhat lower than normal. "Look, here he comes, and looks like he got you a mango juice!"

Axel reappeared at their side, having deftly slid between the gyrating forms, with a small tray of drinks. "Let's sit for the minute, I didn't realise that tonight was Happy Hour for murderers, it's usually more intimate, and less crowded than this."

Demyx, who felt like he was about to pass out, gratefully grabbed his drink, downed it in one, and plonked himself down on the seat that Axel had just taken. Finding himself on Axel's lap, flustered him somewhat, "Er, sorry about that," he said, by now quite red in the face, as he moved to get up.

"You don't have to get off you know." Axel grinned at him wickedly, as he put a restraining hand on his thigh, disconcerting the blond even further. Demyx, halfway to rising, and unsure of what to do next, felt a bit like a rabbit caught in headlights, as the strobe light hit their table, and he saw that Roxas had nearly turned purple from laughing.

"I think I'd like my own chair," Demyx said recovering his dignity, "this place is way too hot to want to snuggle up to anyone, let alone anyone as hot as you!"

"Glad to hear you think I'm hot!" said Ax, deliberately misunderstanding Demyx's words, "you're not bad yourself!" His grin broadened.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! And you can stop laughing too, you moron!" he said in the direction of Roxas. Only Roxas was no longer there. He had collapsed off his seat from laughing and his place had immediately been taken by a very large, muscular man with more scars than Demyx had had hot dinners – and he was very much not laughing. In fact, he looked extremely angry.

"You talking to me, girlie?" boomed from his great maw of a mouth, as he leant forward, and his foul breath assailed Demyx's nostrils.

Demyx squeaked slightly. "No, totally not. Talking to small blond shrimp. Should be here somewhere." He stuttered as he looked round desperately for some sign of the small blond shrimp as proof.

Then, just as he saw, a large brawny hand heading for his throat, he suddenly found himself sucked backwards and then deposited, sprawled on his back on soft grass.

"Now that was close!" commented Axel, also sprawled flat on the lawn. "I did tell you to be careful!"

Demyx who was still in a bit of shock was, at least, glad to see that Roxas was lying next to him.

"What happened there?" asked Roxas who had finally stopped laughing.

"Well, Dreamboat over there," said Axel, waving a hand towards Demyx, "just managed to seriously annoy Blackbeard. Not a wise choice of action. And I had to portal us out of there in somewhat of a hurry. Emergency portals are never too accurate, and I'm not too sure where we are other than it's safe, because that was the first word I thought of. So I suggest we just lie here and get our breath back."

No-one had any objections to Axel's plan.

"Ax, after that can we just go to bed, sorry to sound boring but today's been a helluva day, and I'm shattered!"

"No probs, shortstop. We'll take you back and tuck you in. What about you, hotstuff?" he said turning to Demyx.

"Probably a good idea if I turn in, too." Nevertheless feeling secretly delighted that Axel was flirting with him, and treating Roxas more like a younger brother.

The other two were also just a little worried where Axel might take them next if they didn't go home, so they thought it was by far the best option.

They all managed an upright entrance into Axel's room, a fact that pleased the rookies no end. Axel decided not to mention that they had only portalled from Marluxia's gardens, and it was no bigger challenge than the dining room.

"Well, kids, different excitement than anticipated but that's half the fun. I'll head for bed too. Tomorrow's training day, and I'm up against Larxene, the vicious bitch, though they might have changed the rosters now that you two are here, but both being new you'll probably be up against each other. You can't kill each other in the training room, it has some kind of restraining magic, but you can end up in the infirmary for a week. This is staffed by Vexen, and not a place you want to go. So, make it look good but try not to damage each other too much. In the training room, you can trust Lex and Lux, they don't like the infirmary either, and Xig's usually OK, except when he's in a mood, like now, we all have kind of a truce worked out; everyone else is out to nearly kill you, the sadistic bastards, and Marluxia and Larxene are the worst. Got it memorized?"

The other two were staring at him in that weird way again. Dammit this had to stop, thought Axel, realising that yet again he had unconsciously been stripping for bed, whilst talking.

"Like what you see, boys?" he asked posing, and jolting them out of their stupor.

"You can sleep here if you want," he grinned wickedly at them, as he stretched out on his emerald green sheets, "it's a big bed!!"

Suddenly they both couldn't wait to leave – Roxas because he had that whole 'EEUWW!" feeling again, and Demyx because he was more than a little scared of the way the red-head made him feel, and how strongly attracted to him he was, in spite of the teasing.

"Think I need to sleep on everything that's happened today really," said Roxas, the first to find words. "So I'll say nightie-night!"

"Me too," added Demyx, "it's all been a bit overwhelming!" and he turned to go, one more look at Axel and he didn't think he'd have the willpower.

"Well, the offer's always open!" Even as he said it, Axel realised he was genuinely enjoying teasing the taller blond, he could almost taste the pheromones pouring off the guy, and they tasted heavenly.

The two newcomers opened the door and were halfway through when Axel called after them, "By the way, after training tomorrow I'll take you shopping. You really do need something other than those goddamn robes!" Then Axel closed his eyes.

That night he dreamt, for the first time since he had arrived, and not just once. When he woke in the morning he found he remembered fragments of three quite distinct dreams. The first had him ensconced in a quaint little cottage, in the middle of what appeared to be Marluxia's gardens with Demyx and Roxas. They had all appeared quite a bit older, and had been discussing stuff they definitely wouldn't these days such as clearing the drains and pruning hedges – frightening. In another he was on his way back from sixthform study when somebody tried to mug him, he was saved by someone who fought the guy off and though he couldn't see his face he had a feeling he knew him. The last fragment he remembered was by far the pleasantest causing him to wake up with a smile on his face, it was of him and Demyx cuddled up together on his armchair, kissing.

He was more than a little confused about his reaction to Demyx, and Roxas for that matter. He really thought he had forgotten what friendship felt like, but here were two guys proving him wrong, and whilst he'd had frequent sexual encounters over the last few months, some with people he wouldn't even talk to, he hadn't felt attracted to anyone, until now. Each time he saw, or thought of, Demyx, strange little whirrings began in his stomach and he could feel his own intense body heat travelling down to his groin, and that was a feeling he knew he hadn't felt in months.

He rolled out of bed, grabbed a towel, and took a cooler than normal shower, then threw his uniform on and was about to go and call for his new friends, feeling safe in the corridor at this time of morning because there was no way that Xig, the lazy bastard, would be awake yet, when he realised he neither knew their cellphone numbers nor which rooms they had been given.

Ever resourceful, he sat down at his computer screen, their e-mails would have been automatically added to the system so that Xemnas could give them instructions, and their screens flashed like fire engines on speed whenever they had mail.

'Are you up yet, you muppet,' he typed. 'Meet in my room, soon as you're dressed. Uniform only, it's training day! C ya, Axel.' He mailed them a copy each, marked urgent, which guaranteed the fire engines.

Two minutes later, the knock came, and Roxas walked in carrying the clothes he'd borrowed the day before.

"I'll wash them first if you want, but I don't know where the laundry room is yet."

"No worries, kid, the dusks take care of all that. Just leave them outside the door. As long as your washing is outside before 10am you'll get it back by dinner. They clean your room as well, if there's something you don't want them to touch just stick a post-it note on. Don't write anything on it though, they can't read, they just know not to touch things with post-its!"

At this point the door was knocked on again, and Axel found himself having to do a repeat for Demyx. Normally this would have annoyed him, and he did add, "Got it memorized?" just to be safe, but he found that he really didn't mind any excuse to talk to this dreamboat with aquamarine eyes, whose smiling gaze made him feel more than usually warm.

"OK kids, breakfast. Xemnas will be there today because he'll want to know why everyone missed the meeting, like he doesn't already know it's because he's so goddamn boring. He just doesn't seem to get the fact that most of us just want our hearts back, and the rest of it is a load of crap. So be prepared for a pointless pep talk, and don't eat too much, in case you feel like throwing it right back up!" chuckled Axel, only half joking.

He opened a portal, and momentarily they found themselves in front of the breakfast buffet in the dining room.

Sure enough Xemnas was already sat in seat number one, with Saix next to him in seat 2.

"Breakfast, and any other meal his Superiorship doesn't attend are free seating on a first come, first served basis," explained Axel, as he steered his friends to the seats furthest from their leader, "and trust me, Rox, you don't want to be in seat thirteen when the pep talk starts, and you find yourself having to deal with picking bits of Xemnas's spit and toast out of your cereal. He gets a bit worked up! Saix of course doesn't mind!"

The room slowly filled up, Xig, as usual was last in, his eye still nearly closed. Xig thought that 7.30 was completely unreasonable for breakfast, especially since he had been playing poker most of the night with Luxord, and didn't have that man's ability to refresh himself at will. He didn't have any apetite which was just as well since he got seat thirteen.

"So gratifying to know that food brings you all out, in a way that my words on the mysterious workings of the heart, and our glorious building of Kingdom Hearts, cannot!" boomed the Superior sarcastically down the table at his assembled Organization.

"Has anyone any particularly spectacular reason why they didn't come to the Meeting last night? I was more than a little surprised that our two new friends did not join us!" he said looking specifically at Roxas, who was squirming slightly in his seat.

"My bad, I think, Xem," shouted out Axel, offhand as usual. "Had no idea you called a meeting until this morning. Took the new boys out, 'cos some dopes fetched them up here with no clothes. Thought I might find a mall still open, but you can't even jack things that suit you if all the lights are out! I did check the comp before we left, and before you ask," he got in quickly as Xem looked about to interrupt, brandishing his phone in his right hand, "no we didn't have our cellphones. Forget to tell the boys to take theirs and I'd left mine in my robe."

Demyx couldn't help but be a bit in awe of the way Axel lied so glibly, and without the telltale blush and stammer that would have accompanied the information had Demyx tried the same.

Roxas, on the other hand was wondering how far they could trust their new best friend if he could lie so easily and so undetectably.

"Marluxia?" Xemnas focussed on the pink-haired man about half way round the table on his left. "Didn't see you there!"

"Not dissimilar to Axel, really. I went out to the greenhouse in my gardening clothes, left my phone behind. Didn't know about the meeting until it was over. Sorry. You know I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Marluxia made the last sentence sound sickly sweet as only he could. Axel realised that, just as Demyx had the unique ability to make him feel all warm and fuzzy, Marluxia had the unique ability to make him feel like he was about to vomit.

"Ah, our avid little gardener, with his greenhouses, and little garden plots!" noted Xemnas in a voice laden with honey, similar to Marluxia's, which nonetheless made the pink one decide to check his outdoor personal spaces for bugs of the electronic kind. Everyone checked their rooms on a near daily basis, given the paranoia and petty squabbles that pervaded the castle, but Marluxia was annoyed that he hadn't thought to check his little domain outdoors.

"Anyone else want to share this morning?" continued Xemnas.

All the other non-attenders mumbled something fairly unintelligible into their food, not really willing to look Xemnas in the eye.

Saix took Xemnas's hand, and in a calming voice that was louder than it needed to be, affirmed, "Well, I for one, thought your talk last night was truly inspiring, and these losers don't know what they missed!"

Xemnas thanked him and smiled.

Saix then turned back to the table, "Training will commence in ten minutes. You all know who your partners are today, you two new guys can spar with each other for today, once we've assessed your strengths and weaknesses, we'll move you into the general roster. Now finish up!"

He and Xemnas rose as one, as if they were attached at the hip, which for once, they weren't, and portalled.

At that point Lex spoke only the second sentence the newcomers had ever heard him utter.

"Couldn't one or two of you idiots have bloody well turned up for once and saved us all this hassle. I did, and yes it was the usual BS, but I'm fed up with all my breakfasts being ruined." Xig, who was still more than half asleep and therefore not yet bothered about Axel, chose this moment to fart loudly, prompting a hiss from Larxene, a repeat from Xig, and an incredibly loud belch from Axel, and then normal mealtime chaos ensued. Xigbar portalled out, his hangover couldn't take the noise. It was a toss up who portalled out next between Larxene and Lex, the whole business leaving the two newcomers nearly paralyzed with laughter.

"Right you two," said Axel as the dusks came in to clear the table, "better be headed for training or we'll just get chewed out again. Larxene's now in a completely foul mood, so I'd better be prepared for major injury. I think Xig started it on purpose, knowing she'll be taking it out on me. He didn't try actually shooting, when bossman left, though that could be because he's not fully awake and might have missed embarrassingly. He's psychotic not stupid!" he added as they entered a portal.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: As per previous chapters, please view!

A/N: If you've made it this far, please tell me what you think!

* * *

In The Beginning: Learning To Play

The training room was the most utilitarian room in the building. Stripped back to basics, it provided a multi-level combat area for the participants, surrounded by benches for those watching, and a podium for the day's umpire/referee/person there to stop major injury and portal the severely wounded to the infirmary. Axel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that today it was Luxord.

Larxene grinned at Axel evilly, her green eyes flashing with anger. "We're up first, and I hope you're ready for trouble. I'm in a foul mood!"

"Ah well, some things never change, do they, insect face! Guess I'll just have to learn to live with it!" said Axel, dodging as Larxene narrowly missed him with a lightening bolt. "Hey, no fair, Larxene, we're not signed in yet!" yelled Axel, but it didn't stop him retaliating with his chakram.

"OK smartass, sign in! Then you're mine!" retorted Larxene, extending her claws which Axel knew could be a real pain if he let her get close.

"Don't worry, kid, I won't let her do too much damage. We could make that none at all if say, you introduced me nicely to your new friends?" ventured Lux, as Axel signed his attendance sheet.

"Snowballs chance in hell, Lux. Introduce yourself...oh wait, no...you already tried that with Demyx! Keep your hands and other anatomical parts off him in particular!"

"OK, I see you've got it bad. I'll wait my turn!"

Luckily for the red-head, Larxene, foul mood or no, was not on top of her game that morning, and Axel did not require any assistance from the referee, who ended up portalling her out. She retired to the infirmary, gashed across the leg and with some pretty severe burns, some caused by her own electricity which was just plain embarrassing.

Axel sat down on the bench relieved that he wasn't going to have to attend the infirmary as well, and hadn't had to compromise with Luxord, after all. A few small scratches was all he had to show for the hour's sparring.

"Gee, she's real mean!" sympathized Demyx.

"Oh, that's nothing, you should see her on a good day!" Axel admitted, "I got off lightly today, her mind was somewhere else. Just as well since Luxord was trying to get an intro to you two in return for stepping in."

"You two feel like going shopping now? I noticed you're not up until after lunch, and you'll have loads of chances to watch this lot before you actually have to fight them." he said, having noticed that Lux's eyes were on them rather than the session between Zexion and Xaldin he should have been supervising.

Demyx, whose favourite pastime after music, was shopping, totally concurred. The absence of any kind of a wardrobe being a major problem for him. "What about munny, we didn't bring any with us."

"Remember, the club? Portal in, portal out."

"You mean we steal?" Demyx asked horrified.

"Well, it's either that or we have to kill everyone, personally I'd rather portal, much less hassle!" said Axel, breezily.

He opened a portal, "Coming?" he queried, and promptly disappeared.

They found themselves upright near the changing rooms, in a shop full of designer gear.

"Pick what you like, and then," he said, indicating the changing rooms behind, "try on. We'll portal from there. Meet you back here in a few, I'm just going to see my tattooist."

The boys looked around, and feeling slightly guilty, went into the changing rooms, their arms loaded down with stuff.

It wasn't long before Axel returned, looking extremely annoyed but with rather red and sore patches under his eyes surrounding some indeterminate markings.

"Arsehole!" he said, to no-one in particular, "Dolphins, he can do, bloody kangaroos, he can do, goddam armadillos, he can do; I ask him for two teardrops and he does them upside down. Screw him! Well, he won't be tattooing anyone else for a while!"

"Well, I think they look wonderful!" soothed Demyx, rapidly rating the role of Axel's buttkisser, Roxas noted.

He kind of liked the red-headed kook, and was extremely grateful for his help, he kind of liked the other blond too, but they were going a route he wasn't interested in. Maybe it was his age, or was it that girl that was bugging him even in his dreams, the one whose name he didn't know, or couldn't remember.

"You two both look tons better," Axel noticed when he came down a bit, "guess we're ready to move on. More shopping or lunch?"

Both boys, by now feeling inordinately guilty at the extent of their theft, opted for lunch.

"Great, there's a brilliant pasta place around the corner, well, a short portal away," announced Axel opening one.

They were sure he hadn't left their side, but this whole portalling business was still a little confusing. Axel had miraculously changed into faded green jeans, and an emerald T-shirt, which exactly matched his eyes.

He noticed their astonishment. "Well, I could hardly let you two outdo me in the fashion stakes!" he laughed, "I stopped by my wardrobe en route." They also noted that his new tattoos had lost all the redness, and now looked several weeks old.

"Oh yeah, the tats. Increased healing powers, and all that. You've just got so much to get used to. Right now, you need to get used to seriously good pasta!" he said opening the door to the restaurant and finding them a good table.

After they had sated themselves on some amazingly good food, they were astonished when Axel called for the bill. They had half expected to be told to sneak to the toilets and portal.

Demyx eyebrows had nearly reached his hairline with surprise.

"OK, I see the confusion. There are thousands of clothes shops on every world, not being able to go back to one wouldn't make a difference, but how many people can make pasta like this chef? I want to be able to come back here!" he said as he placed his munny in the billholder, with a very generous tip.

"And now, we've just got time to get back and get changed, in time for your training session!"

They got up, and exited, going round to a side alley before portalling out.

Back at the training room, Saix was trying to make mincemeat out of an incredibly bored Xigbar, who just teleported every time anything looked particularly threatening.

"You're not trying!" noted the unofficial second-in-command, "Give me a reason to," commented the actual number 2, just annoying the psychotic number seven even further. Hell, but Xig loved seeing this buttkisser completely psyched out. He wasn't actually jealous of Saix role, he didn't want the workload and did NOT want to share Xemnas's bed, but he was damned if this Johnny-Come-Lately was ever going to try and pull rank on him, just because he screwed the boss.

"Time!" Luxord yelled, over both of their noise.

"Don't think this is over, you moron!" spat Saix, as he portalled to lick his wounds, or have Xemnas do it for him.

"Newbies, you're up next!" shouted Lux. "Rules say give it your all! I say don't be an arsehole, just make it look good!"

Roxas was looking at the camera, somewhat concerned.

"S'OK, Xem can't hear us, there's no sound output from here. Bugs can't pick out individual conversations over all the battle noise, and noise gives him a headache, so he took them out. Safest place in the castle if you want to say anything private, but you can only get in here once a week! Now, as I was about to say, since it's just us, Axel and Xig, let's be honest, you do NOT want to go to the infirmary! And Xig, please keep your hands, guns, etc off Axel, at least until I have a better view. You can't kill him in here anyway!"

"And Lux, remember, the only way you can interfere with those two is as referee. Stay on the podium! Got it memorized?" Axel shouted over to a decidedly amused Luxord. Shit, that man treats everything as a game, thought Axel, suddenly realising that it usually was for him too, but where Demyx was concerned, and in a different way, Roxas, he was deadly serious.

Axel sat down next to Xig, and noticed that the one-eyed guy was actually more tired than he was letting on, he also knew the man would never allow himself to lose to Saix. He'd rather be dead. Ax decided that now was as good a time as any to negotiate a truce.

"Say, Xig, you still mad at me?"

"Ax," said Xig, pointing his fingers at Axel like guns, "I'm always mad at you. It's my permanent state of being, it appears to be the one emotion I can still replicate accurately!"

"So, not true. You detest Saix, the blue buttkisser, way more than you dislike me!"

"True. Anyway Ax, I know where this is going, even though you have been heard to say I have the brain of a goldfish..."

"...Memory, it was memory, and the exact words were retarded goldfish..." chirped in Axel.

"...and you Ax, are a retarded moron, who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. I was going to say, OK, truce till next time, then you go and make next time, immediately!

"But you're in luck, kiddo, I just don't have it in me to get worked up about more than one of you psychos at a time, and right now Saix has my attention. Er, do you mind keeping your little water fairies in the actual training area!" added a Xigbar, who felt like he'd just been hit by a garden sprinkler, to Demyx. After the initial surprise, this actually made him crease up, as it reminded him of something he and Lux had done a few nights ago in Marluxia's greenhouse, when they had both been rather wasted, and had set off all the lawn sprinklers on the way back.

Axel had been watching the new boys during his interchange with Xigbar. He had been surprised at his first training session when his weapons had manifested. He'd been up against Vexen, the creep, and had been getting a little frustrated at getting his attacks blocked by walls of ice. He had leant forward with his arms back, intended to charge, like the ram that was his zodiac sign, and whaddya know, the chakrams just manifested in his hands, a quick one, two and Vexen was out, colder than his own ice, on the floor. He had to admit though, for these boys things were a little different. Firstly, Roxas already had his Keyblade; it had stayed in his room until today, when he had commanded it to himself for the first time, and secondly because he already had the innate knowledge of how to use it, it felt like an extension of himself.

Demyx on the other hand was a completely unknown quantity. Power over water could mean anything from turning on every tap in the building, soon to be a way people could tell that Dem was upset, to a burst dam or a tsunami. So far Dem either hadn't got the hang of it, or some people were going to be looking for a replacement nine, quite soon. All that had happened for poor old Dem, was a few tiny water fountains, and some aimlessly drifting ghostlike shapes, one of which had collided with Xig. The only plus point was that Saix had not portalled back in, which probably meant that Xemnas was licking his wounds and they were not watching.

Lux was a little concerned, very unusually for Lux, who didn't give a toss about anything these days but gaming, if anyone but knew. Sex no longer really interested him, though he hadn't given it up, and wouldn't turn it down. His whole pervert persona had been carefully crafted to put people off, (his actual tastes were only known by Xig and a few rather willing and attractive ladies his own age, usually red-heads, and scattered on various worlds), and masque the fact that he enjoyed his privacy - and beating Xig, who had the worst poker face ever, hollow at cards. But this cheerful, good-looking blond was making him feel kind of fatherly. Something wasn't right, and the youngster still had no weapon. Lux had already had to throw three barrier cards in and he knew that if Xemnas was watching in his study, this would not be going down well.

"Time out!" he yelled. "Dem you've got to feel your power, let it flow through you, make it your tool! You've got to want to win, not just defend yourself from attack! Think back really hard to when you were somebody, what was your favourite thing in the world, what were you really good at?"

A slightly sweaty, and Axel thought, extremely attractive, Demyx, frowned slightly. "I didn't really do much, but I was good at what I did. I was a medal-winning swimmer, I played guitar, really well - in a band, and I won medals for dancing Latin."

"OK," said Lux, feeling this didn't give him a lot to work with, but then again he'd just been an itinerant gambler with a knack for hiding from the law. Still he had power over time, something the Superior would always find useful.

"Well, try and remember the feelings that you felt in those competitions, when you were trying to win a medal, and pretend that Rox, there, is the heartless that killed your baby sister! Now, start!"

Dem's face had gone thunderous at the mention of his family, water suddenly started pouring from the very air around him twisting into whirlpools and obscuring him from Roxas's view. A moment later the whole effect was completely spoilt, as a loud "Oh yeah!" emanated from inside the whirlpools, which crashed to the floor as gigantic puddles, soaking the onlookers, and Demyx stood pleased as punch in the middle, holding an oversized large blue Sitar.

His sopping audience looked at him somewhat confused and irritated. Chakrams, lances, scythes, those were weapons, but this? Only Luxord, whose own weapons of cards and dice were not quite the norm, got the idea immediately.

"Play it, Dem, play as if your life depended on it!" he said, thinking it well might.

Demyx began to move his fingers over the strings as if he had been playing all his life. The puddles, even the water from their soaked clothes began to reform into the strange ghostly shapes from earlier, "Hey, dance, water, dance!" cried Dem, and they started to make a beeline for Roxas, at first just a few which he easily batted away, but soon he found himself surrounded, and struggling for breath, slowly drowning in these shadows.

"Time out!" yelled Lux for the second time, now completely dry and hoping to stay that way. "In fact, I think that's enough for today. If Xem was watching he'll have got the measure of what you both can do, and if not, tough, you're not doing this for his entertainment, whatever he may think!"

Roxas colour had returned to normal, but Dem was flushed with excitement. "I really thought I was going to be a washout, but this is so cool. It is cool isn't it, Ax?" he said feeling he needed some reassurance from the guy he thought to be the coolest in the room.

"Impressive, very impressive! And not remotely what any of us were expecting, I think. Subtle too, drowning people, I wonder how my fire would match up against you, I certainly look forward to that training session, but I've still got my chakrams!"

"Yeah? And I've still got this!" Dem said, clocking his friend over the head with his newly-acquired, nebulous yet solid, weapon.

A rather surprised Axel rubbed the sore spot on the back of his crown, a rueful expression on his face.

Lux, who was now sprawled out on the bench next to Xig thought it was strange how in the space of a day, these two youngsters had revitalised just about everyone they came into contact with. It was as if the Organization could not have continued without them. He knew how disillusioned Axel had been, Lex and Xig had become virtual recluses like himself, each in their own way, Xaldin had taken to long trips away on no particular mission, but just to be absent from all the infighting, and their paranoid Superior couldn't seem to take any decision recently that didn't have Saix's stamp of approval. All of a sudden everyone was galvanised into action. There were plans being made, and people who had gone months without any words apart from the odd trade of insults were now having conversations.

"Well," sighed Lux eventually, "I suppose we'd better wash up and go to the meeting. Xem announced at lunch that now that we are actually Organization XIII, plans can be put in motion and we're having a meet to that effect before dinner. This is one I have to admit I really would rather miss, especially if that lunatic Saix was involved in the planning. He has an amazing knack of reducing our numbers, I just don't know why the Superior can't see what a big prick he is!"

"Lux," sighed a slightly exasperated Xigbar, "my wonderful, but very dumb, card partner, that is ALL he sees. That's why the slimy blue moron has effectively usurped my position, he is prepared to go where no-one in their right mind has ever gone before!"

Lux's mouth made a little 'Oh' of understanding, and then to the surprise of the youngsters, who didn't really know him, he turned slightly green.

The younger crowd, had now finished their session of mutual admiration, and were ready to leave.

"You want me to get the lights, Lux," offered an unnaturally pleasant Axel, explaining to the new kids that the training room and meeting hall were barred to all nobodies except the Organization, and to their amusement, that Saix did the cleaning, Xemnas being to paranoid to let anyone else in those rooms alone.

"What I wouldn't give to see him in a maid's outfit," chuckled Roxas, making everyone laugh.

"Sure, since you're nearest," said Lux, "and please let me know when Axel will be inhabiting your body again. Don't recognize this new guy!"

"Haha! You old perve, if you get there first tell the old guard we're just cleaning up and we're on our way!"

Lux and Xig portalled, followed momentarily by the three new friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: As previous chapters, I don't own these characters!

* * *

In The Beginning: The Send-Off

By now, the two new boys were used to Xemnas's booming and extremely flowery oratory, and copied Axel's example of tuning out anything not relevant to themselves. Not soooo difficult when you could have your hood up.

Feeling, strangely for someone without emotion, that the vibe in the room wasn't right for the momentous announcement he was about to make, the Superior ordered their hoods down. He wanted to see the reactions on their faces.

"Now that I know that I have your undivided attention," he obviously hadn't noticed the looks being exchanged between Xigbar and Saix, "we shall proceed to the major business of this meeting. Sora is within our grasp!" He didn't get the response he was looking for, so, more than a little peeved, he continued, "I have decided to send some of you to a place known as Castle Oblivion. There you will find a rather unique being, almost as important to our cause as Roxas! She is called Namine, and she holds the ability to hand Sora to us by unchaining and rechaining his memories, as we see fit. She is neither a somebody nor a nobody, exactly, born when Sora kept Kairi's heart safe. She holds within her both their memories, and those of everyone they have touched, but because she never had a heart, was never a somebody, that's all she is. An archive of memory, able to create new ones at will – and beware of that ability, it means she is an AI, able to grow. There's enough of Kairi in her to give her a conscience and free will, if you let her psyche develop, which would not suit our purposes at all! In fact, it could even be disastrous to our plans, so she must be kept subdued, grateful to us, our tool!

"This operation is crucial in our plan to acquire hearts, and for Kingdom Hearts. As far as we know Sora is the only other permanent Keyblade master, bar Roxas, and with both of them, our goal can be achieved much faster. Sora can move, in a way which Roxas cannot, in the kingdom of light. We will chain him to ourselves with Namine's help, in that special place where all can be forgotten and relearnt. It cannot be done here, firstly because she may, even accidentally, come across Roxas, and that part of her which is Kairi would recognise him, and it could produce memories that would be contrary to our plans. Obviously, at least until he is doing our work, we cannot allow Sora here, and even then, I am not sure what the effect on Roxas would be - to be so close to his other.

"Marluxia, since you seem eager for more responsibility," Xemnas said, with a sly smile on his face, "I am putting you in charge of operations at Castle Oblivion. With you, I am sending Vexen," bar his black uniform Marluxia was now completely pink, and obviously pissed off, "Larxene, as we know you couldn't manage without her," Marluxia had now gone bright red, he wasn't absolutely sure what Xemnas was insinuating, or how much he knew of their plans, Larxene just looked sickeningly pleased, "Lexaeus, Zexion, and Axel!"

"Hold up!" Even if Axel's face had not gone the same colour as his hair, his voice was unmistakably furious. "Xem, I've done everything you've ever asked of me, everything! But I will not go to this obviating castle place with the pink poodle, insect lady, a mad scientist, a moron and the only guy here who still sucks his thumb to go to sleep, and sniffs people for fuck's sake! No way, Jose! End of! Got it memorized?"

"Number 8, you will see me in my room immediately after this meeting, and, trust me, you will go to Castle Oblivion, or you will meet your own oblivion, something I feel you didn't join the Organization for!" whispered an incensed Xemnas, who really didn't tolerate being spoken to like that by anyone.

"Shit!" thought Axel, "Xig was right, it's always the mouth that lands me in it." He noticed that his two new friends looked seriously worried, and he smiled at them, shaking his head, realising that he really had done something incredibly stupid, and dangerous, even for him.

Marluxia, ignored Axel's outburst, other than to mentally note that if the red-head came at all it would probably be as a dusk, another irritant disposed of without him actually having to do anything. "Just how long do you think we will be there, Superior?" he asked, smarming as only he could do.

"Well, that depends on how fast you can reconstruct Sora's memories...To be honest, I would like Phase Two, where Roxas and Sora are both harvesting hearts, to begin within six months, but it's pretty much down to how fast you can persuade our little friend, Namine, to work! If we give her too much time, she may become too sentient and refuse our demands, too little and Sora's mind could be too damaged to be of any use to us. Your group will leave tonight. The castle's co-ordinates have been sent to your computers.

"In the meantime, everyone left here will be on heartless duty as usual until the time is right to give you your specific missions. By the way, the new robes I ordered have arrived. Please change after the meeting and give the old ones to the dusks. No, Luxord," he commented drily to the man with the goatee, who was looking puzzled, "not to wear, to dispose of!

"Everyone," he boomed, jerking them back to attention, "know that I am depending on each and every one of you! Axel, my room, now!" and before you could utter his name he had portalled, surprising even Saix.

Axel smiled at his friends, shrugged, thinking, 'Here goes nothing!' and followed his boss.

He arrived in Xemnas study, expecting at the least, some kind of maiming, at worst, to exit the room a dusk! He was actually greeted by Xemnas offering him a drink, which rather knocked him off guard, and which he took, the guy was many things but poisoning was not his style!

"Axel, I know we don't always see eye to eye on everything," began a remarkably benign Xemnas. An understatement, Axel thought but he was more than willing to accept whatever the man said, under the circumstances.

"I do know though, that you want to feel again, want a heart again, and you are right, you have done everything I have asked of you. That's exactly why I need you there, at Castle Oblivion, with that pink snake Marluxia, and his sidekick, Larxene. I know what you all say about me and Saix, but let me tell you Saix makes a great informer. I know Marluxia and his little friend are traitors, but I also know they are ideally suited for this job, especially with Zexion and Vexen as back up. Watch and listen Axel, and if you have to, and you probably will, destroy. I will just have to trust to your judgement and your loyalty."

Ax couldn't resist a small smile at the likelihood of their being any truth in that sentence! There would be bugs in every room and his cellphone would be buzzing, if he knew their paranoid leader.

"For once, it was good that you spoke out, it suits my purposes, so I am forgiving you, in private. However, you now need to worm your way in with Marluxia and Larxene, not antagonize them. Larxene, however vile, may be the easier target, but I will understand if you find you can't go as far as to sleep with her."

Just the thought of it was making Axel feel ill.

"I will let it be known how displeased I am with you, and how your behaviour on this mission is make or break for you in the Organization. Let me just make one thing understood, if your mission is found out and you find yourself under threat from them, or you find out the conspiracy runs deeper, you take care of matters and you portal back. Zex and Vex can manage Namine for a few days, if Lex is there to keep an eye on them. The mission with Sora is not to be jeapordized, and I will send Saix to take over if I have to, but right now I need him on operations here."

As if on cue the blue-haired one portalled in, making Axel wonder if had actually bugged the Superior's study.

"Go from here now, pack, say your goodbyes, if that's your thing, download the co-ordinates from your computer, and do as I've instructed," said Xemnas. "Axel, I'm relying on you, don't let us down, and do take your cellphone, or I might decide you are expendable after all." He and Saix looked more serious than usual, as Axel portalled out.

He really was not going to enjoy this new mission, not least, he realised because it would mean an extended period without his new found friends, and worse still would mean cozying up to the two most revolting people in the Organization, with no light relief at all. If Lex's brain didn't go walkabout he could be quite pleasant, but in that company he would probably never allow his mind to surface. He had a sneaking suspicion that the tall silent one was actually included to watch him watching the others, Xem's paranoia ran pretty deep, and to be honest, pretty much like himself, there didn't seem any other reason for sending him. Marluxia and Larxene were obviously going to be playing good cop, bad cop, in Larx's case no playacting required, Vexen was there in case chemical persuasion was needed, Zex had his own particularly vile ways of extracting information, but there really was no real role for either him or Lex. Oh well, he thought, maybe this Namine would prove to be a cutie, Kairi certainly was, and he couldn't remember when he'd last had fun with anyone near his age of the opposite sex.

He began to feel a little more hopeful about the mission as he made his way to Demyx's door, having finally remembered to ask the boys where they were bunked at lunch.

"Anyone home?" he yelled as a prelude to walking in, just as Demyx and Roxas exited from Roxas's room next door.

"No!" said Demyx laughing, delighted to see that his friend appeared intact. "I take it things went better than you thought with our leader."

"True, I still have all my limbs and faculties but I still have to go to that effing Castle, with that bunch of effing morons for company! Some days being a Nobody sucks more than others!"

"Got time for chow before you leave?" Roxas asked, hopefully. He had already thought how much he would miss Ax, when he and Dem had discussed Axel earlier, not knowing what the outcome of his meeting with the boss would be.

"Sure thing! Bossman didn't say exactly when I have to go, just that he wants to see the back of me before the end of the day, and the mood he's in, I don't feel like disappointing him!" quipped Axel as he opened them a portal to the dining room.

In his absence Saix had been busy, judging from the variety of looks he got on arrival. They ranged from something akin to sympathy on Lex's usually blank face, amusement on Xigbar's, and downright smugness on Marluxia's. Only the knowledge that the pink monkey's days were now quite definitely numbered, and that he would more than likely get the chance to deal the deathblow, so to speak, enabled Axel to sit down opposite the freak with any kind of equanimity.

"Looking forward to our little trip to my castle?" asked Marluxia, leaning forward across the table, and giving Axel a truly toe-curling, stomach-churning smile. Axel was glad he hadn't started to eat yet!

"Interesting choice of words, Marls. Don't remember you being given a castle, just being given responsibility for its running – a bit like a janitor!" he finished, as he dug into his steak.

"You're just jealous, Ax. I'll be keeping a close eye on you. Rumour has it, this is pretty much make or break for you, so you might want to be a bit more accommodating to me. Got it memorized?" retorted Marluxia, still looking unbelievably smug, and wiggling his middle finger in a very vulgar manner.

Not as close an eye as I'll be keeping on you and your pet insect, thought Axel, letting the use of his pet phrase, and the grossly indecent gesture, go unheeded, much to Marluxia's surprise.

They were not a full complement for dinner. Saix had portalled out with a tray as the boys had portalled in. Luxord had gone to some all night poker game, Xemnas had not left his room, to add weight to the idea that he was very pissed at Axel, Larxene had weighed up the joys of gloating at Axel against the collective animal noises of the other diners and had also portalled out with a tray. Apart from the fun of spending lots of time with her new boyfriend, and tormenting this Sora kid or the Namine creature, she was looking forward to the chance to eat her meals without gagging. Vex and Zex were as fastidious as Marls, Lex had very gentlemanly manners for someone who looked like an oaf, and Axel had better watch it, or he might find someone had tampered with his food. For Larxene, the joy was in the torment not the actual killing.

Dem and Rox had seated themselves either side of Axel, and whilst they didn't know exactly what had transpired in Xemnas's study, could feel from Ax's body language that he didn't seem terribly bothered by Marluxia's threats.

Since his needling was falling on deaf ears, Marluxia had turned his attention to his food, there'd be plenty of time and opportunity to annoy Axel once they got to the castle, he thought, or, he glanced at Axel, as a new line of thought occurred to him, maybe, he could turn Axel's fall out with the Superior to his and Larxene's advantage. Axel may be an uncouth pain in the ass but he did have some quite formidable fighting skills and he was one of the new guard, with no real friendships or loyalties to the founder members. Xemnas might just find that isolating them all at Castle Oblivion, with two of the most useful assets the Organization had, was a big mistake. Lex, Zex and Vex could either join them, or would be dealt with. Marluxia was well into planning by the time he finished dinner, and was feeling very optimistic by the time he downloaded the co-ordinates for portalling.

He would have felt a lot less like smiling if he had been able to read Axel's mind. At that moment the red-head was putting the finishing touches to his packing, as ever he travelled light. If he needed anything he could always get new, the Superior hadn't said they couldn't actually leave the castle at all, just that they could not return here until the mission was completed, and he presumed the rules would be the same for when they lived here, except for the obvious fact that they would be on duty more.

As he sat down on his bed doing a last minute mental check that he had remembered everything he really wanted, his friends came in to say their final goodbyes. They now felt comfortable enough not to knock, but hadn't yet grasped the strange community etiquette that involved verbally announcing your presence before you barged in.

"You all done then, Ax?" asked Roxas.

"Not quite," chipped in Demyx. "We got you a little something for the trip!" and he handed Axel a couple of small packages.

Axel grinned broadly. It was a long time since anyone had given him a present, no-one here would have thought of it, even had they liked him, it would never have occurred to them, people here just didn't do presents.

The larger of the two presents was a mini camcorder, they had no idea just how handy he might find it for his new mission, and the smaller turned out to be an iPod full of songs that looked like they might be Demyx's kind of thing.

"Thanks guys! I'm flattered! Not just gifts, but really useful gifts!" for once Axel's voice held no trace of sarcasm.

The two boys beamed in response. "Well, I had to replace my iPod anyway," said Demyx colouring slightly, "and Rox thought that if you had the recorder you could keep us posted on what you're up to, and maybe amuse yourself a bit at Marl and Larx's expense! It should stave off the boredom, anyway!"

Axel found himself wondering if these two confident young men were really the two newbies he had met so recently, and how long it had taken him to find his feet here. Well, these two hadn't had to spend fruitless hours touring corridors to nowhere, had they?

"I guess it's time I left, or knowing Marls, the only decent rooms will have been appropriated for his personal use, the greedy bastard."

"Well, keep us up to date, and we'll do the same at this end," said Roxas, removing an identical camcorder from the pocket of his robe, and pointing it at Axel. "Say something memorable, just for the record!"

"Er, just remember everything I've told you, try not to wind anyone up too much until you've trained a bit more, never turn your back on Luxord...or Xigbar...or Xaldin...or anyone really! Kill as many of those Heartless bastards as you can, and stay alive until I get back! Got it memorized?"

Roxas pocketed the recorder, and reached forward to give Axel a hug.

"Got it memorized! All of it! You come back safe too!" he said slapping the taller guy on the back.

Axel turned to Demyx, his arms wide open for another hug, but his stomach did a strange flipping manoeuvre as he looked into the blond's eyes, and his hands narrowed to take hold of his friend's face, and he leant in until they were forehead to forehead.

"Keep safe, Dem. I am going to miss you more than you know, or I thought I could feel," whispered Axel, and then he very gently kissed, a very surprised Demyx, on the mouth. As the kiss lengthened, so did the urgency of Axel's mouth, and Demyx's response, until Roxas, slightly disturbed by this turn of events, yelled, "For Pete's sake, get a room, will you?"

"I believe I have one," chuckled Axel, breaking the kiss but keeping his forehead pressed up against Dem's, "and you're in it, but you're right I do need to go and secure myself some new accommodation, unfortunately, alone!" He reluctantly released his hold on his blond angel, happy to see that Dem looked as flushed and excited as he felt himself. "Dem, hold that thought until I get back please, I promise I'll do anything I can to hurry this mission along!"

Axel turned and picked up his gifts and his travel bag, he was a little confused at what had just happened, but more so at the fact that he could feel such a deep and powerful attraction in the absence of a heart. If he didn't know better he would think he was beginning to fall in love.

He threw them both another quick grin and then opened a portal to the new co-ordinates, and with a quick wave, he was gone.

"What the?...Dem," Roxas said, looking up at the ceiling as his hair felt suddenly wet, "can you see a leak?" and turning to his friend realised that it was nothing of the sort. Tears were rolling down the older boy's cheeks, and a cloudburst had opened over their heads, inside the room.

"Hell, Dem, cut it out! Axel will be really pissed if he comes back to massive water damage!"

This seemed to do the trick, as Dem slowly nodded, still looking miserable but reabsorbing the water and evaporating the little cloud. It was then that Roxas noticed the computer screen flashing as it would be simultaneously in their own rooms, the message was in capitals, 'EVERYONE NOT GOING TO CASTLE OBLIVION, REPORT TO THE MEETING HALL FOR DUTY, IMMEDIATELY!' At the same time their cellphones began to vibrate in their pockets.

"Guess we're wanted," stated Demyx in a flat voice, as he opened them a portal.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of these characters, but I do like quite a few of them!

* * *

In The Beginning: Actions and Reactions

For once, to Xemnas's immense satisfaction, reactions to his summons were swift and complete, the last to arrive being Luxord who had had to do his complicated little party trick, having been very much the worse for drink.

Everyone who had been assigned to Castle Oblivion had now left, so the Hall was only half full anyway.

To everyone's surprise, however, it was not Xemnas who spoke first. Exchanging nods with his Superior, Xaldin threw back his hood, and cleared his throat somewhat self-importantly, determined to make the most of the moment.

"It has come to my attention during my recent field trips that the numbers of Heartless on certain worlds are expanding very rapidly, and urgent action needs to be taken in this regard. To this end, and with immediate effect, we are being despatched to the various locations, to deal with this nuisance. For security reasons, we will travel in pairs, whilst this may prolong the mission, given the sheer numbers we are up against, it will certainly be safer. Our Superior will remain here to oversee operations. I will be paired with Roxas, Saix will go with Luxord, and Xig will be with Demyx."

The two friends exchanged shrugs, sad at not being together but relieved at not being paired with Lux, after Ax's frequent warnings! Luxord, on the other hand looked a little peeved, why did he have to get paired with an arsehole, either of the boys would have been more fun! He really would have to do something about that persona he had carefully cultivated!

"Roxas and I will be based on this world to start with, Lux and Saix will start in Neverland, and Xig you're taking Demyx to the Queen's Castle in Wonderland. At this point we don't want to eradicate them, just trim their numbers back until the shell of Kingdom Hearts is complete, and we have full control over Sora. We also want to keep our own presence as low key as possible, we don't know the exact whereabouts of King Mickey, or that friend of Sora's who disappeared with him, and we don't want to tip our hand to either of them. I have also heard some disturbing rumours about our old boss, Ansem. He has disappeared – completely, and I'm presuming that this is probably not a good development after so many years of inaction."

At last Xemnas spoke.

"Any questions?" and when nobody replied, he continued, "Thank you Xal, both for your research and your clear presentation of the information to our little band. I will be here overseeing matters. If anyone feels they need backup they really have no place being in this unit. Once numbers in an area are down by about half, you can make your way back. If you find out anything particularly interesting call in, otherwise just make sure you all have your cellphones with you and switched on. This meeting is now closed, I hope to hear of your successes shortly."

The senior partners of each pairing portalled to the central dais, except for Lux and Saix, who both did, and then proceeded to have a short but heated argument about seniority. It didn't last long as Lux was intrinsically way too lazy to keep at it, and had the lower number. Their junior partners joined them and they all portalled to their various designated locations.

Xemnas went to his study, and decided to check on the progress at Castle Oblivion. Namine was sat in a large white room, drawing. Tears were gently running down her cheeks, not quite the scene he had wanted to see, then he realised that that bitch Larxene was in the room with her. He would have to ring Axel and warn him that Larxene was not to be left alone with the girl. It could mess everything up for all of them. Luckily, as he was about to make the call, the red-head walked into the room and started a major rant at Larx, at the same time trying successfully to calm Namine. Ax was handling the mission better than he had thought he would.

Marluxia was beginning his meddling with Sora and his strange companions, Vexen and Zexion were engaged in activities that gave him some ideas for when Saix got back, and Lex appeared to be sleeping but since Lex looked the same when he was awake a lot of the time, it was hard to be sure.

He decided to take a peek at how his blue-haired lover was doing, and was happy to see him disposing of large quantities of Heartless, his powers always stronger at night, which was just as well since Lux was apparently taking a breather, the lazy bastard, and merely flicking occasional cards at the small black shapes. He was going to have to have a word with him when he got back, he really wasn't putting his heart into it, so to speak! He was, however, quite pleased at the visual quality of the new micro-cameras installed in the neck of their robes.

He decided he might as well check on the other two pairings whilst he was at it and switched to a view of Roxas; slightly obscured by swirling lances, the young Keyblade master nonetheless appeared to be more than holding his own. The next scene however was not quite what he had been hoping for; amidst a stream of invective as blue as Demyx's Sitar, and several volleys of mishits, Xig was berating the newcomer for soaking his boots, robe and ammunition, and jamming the automatic firing mechanism on his guns. Demyx was apparently oblivious, in his own little world, playing his instrument as ghostly dancing water creations, were knocking down the Heartless like flies, to Demyx evident astonishment, as well as pleasure! The beatific grin on his face in complete contrast to the thunder on Xig's! Xemnas knew that Xig probably wouldn't even hear his phone in that kind of a mood, and fervently hoped that his official second-in-command wouldn't get rash and shoot his partner! He decided that if Demyx came through this round alive, he would switch his and Roxas's partners! By morning, to Xemnas relief, everyone had returned, though both Xig and Dem had minor bullet wounds from Xig's misfires!

The youngsters met up in Roxas's room after being informed of their change of pairing.

"I'm sorry for you, Rox, but I'm glad I'm not going out with that psycho again. Have you seen my Sitar?" he said commanding his weapon to him, and showing Roxas a perfectly straight line of bullet holes. "Bastard shot it deliberately! I know he told Xemnas it was an accidental misfire but he did that AFTER the battle, from 2 feet away, after I'd reabsorbed all the water! Goddamn one-eyed snake shouldn't be allowed near guns!"

"Yeah, well Xaldin is no bed of roses either! Stands there like a goddamn statue thinking 'Ooh look at me! I'm Mr Cool!' with his goddamn lances twirling around, and his bloody mini-tornado whipping up all the dust and completely obscuring your vision! It's easy to tell what his element is, the pompous old fart!" Roxas complained in return.

"Wonder how Ax is getting on with the other arseholes, at that Oblivion place. It's got to be a better gig than staying here!" mused Demyx, colouring slightly at the thought of his emerald-eyed, and much missed hero. "Wonder if he's used our presents yet?"

At that particular moment, Axel would definitely have disagreed about it being the better gig. He'd only been there a few hours and was already bored with playing nice with a scarily friendly Marluxia, sick of the sight of Larxene, and the sound of her laugh, and actually quite glad that he hadn't actually clapped eyes on the other three since they had arrived. The place, he decided was misnamed, it should have been Castle Tedious. Right then he would have given his right arm, to be in the thick of a fight against some Heartless, instead of babysitting a bunch of Nobodies who, in all likelihood, were not long for this world.

Before he began to lose his mind like Lex, he decided to go and see if Mr Suddenly Nice and Friendly would let him have some fun with his new, feisty and slightly confused toy. He really wanted to get up close and see what Roxas's other was like, minding Namine wasn't so bad but she was toooo quiet, and for some reason made him feel homesick for Demyx. He hoped she wasn't messing with his mind too!

Axel portalled down to see Marluxia and was extremely gratified to see that Sora was with him. The kid really was like a kind of technicolour version of Roxas, and fighting him was fun; after a bit though, he realised he really couldn't risk letting Larx upset Namine again if they wanted progress, and he portalled out to find Zex or Lex to share the job of sitting her. Marls seemed equally preoccupied with screwing up Sora's head and screwing Larxene, and couldn't see that she was likely to screw things up.

He managed to find Lex, whose mind was actually at home. He was talking to Zex who had apparently fallen out with Vexen again, and wanted a shoulder to cry on. Lex, who was getting a bit bored, was more than happy to have a change of company. Axel went to his room and turned on his computer. In a few minutes, he was happily chatting to his friends back on the World That Never Was.

"Who's up for lunch at that pasta place?"

"What, now?"

"No, duh. Of course now, I need a break from these idiots!"

Having just got back from a mission the two blonds were a bit tired, but readily agreed since they both missed their friend, and his strange take on life as they now knew it.

"Hell but it's good to see you," said Axel envelopping them both in a huge bearhug, before turning to Demyx and giving him a long, lingering kiss.

"Hello, other person here!" yelled Roxas, when it seemed like neither was ever going to surface for breath.

They pulled apart, grinning stupidly, "Sorry, shortstop, forgot you completely," chuckled Axel, lightly punching his arm, and then linking it. "C'mon, pasta awaits!"

They sat down at the same table they had used before, and ordered drinks. Axel was more than a little surprised when Roxas asked for vodka and mango.

"Guess you've been growing up whilst I've been gone, kid. What's with the vodka?"

"Just felt like trying it after a stinker of a mission, and found I kind of liked it."

"That's not the only thing that's changed about, Roxy, here," giggled Demyx, "He's not a kid anymore if you know what I mean!" he winked at Axel, suggestively.

"Roxas!" exclaimed Axel, "Spill! Everything! Just please don't tell me its Luxord!"

"Nah! Anyway turns out you were sooooo wrong about him! Nah, I kind of got a bit drunk...OK Dem...a lot drunk during a poker game and jumped Xig! Don't remember much, no, it wasn't Lux, I was just very drunk!"

"Ax, it was soooo funny! I've got a bit of it on video but then they kicked the rest of us out of the room! Xig was absolutely 1000% shocked, well we all were! Especially since Roxas was kind of considered 'off-limits', Xem had made it clear that if Rox thought he was straight, no-one was to upset his precious keyblade master, by trying anything on!"

Once Axel had got over laughing and digesting this new information, he wanted to know more of what was happening. "So how am I wrong about Lux and when did you start playing poker, anyhow?"

Bit by bit, as they ate, they filled Axel in on the day to day activities back at base, their first trip to a brothel with Lux, how the whole castle had shuddered when Xem and Saix had had a lovers' tiff, luckily not for long, and Axel told them how boring it was being stuck at Castle Tedious.

"Worst part isn't even Marls and Larx, its being stuck babysitting a very quiet person all day, and hearing her blasted crayons scraping across the paper. It grates on your nerves after a while. It wouldn't be so bad if she was talkative, I mean she's real eye candy. Blonde, petite, blue-eyed and beautiful..."

"Shit, Ax!" interrupted Roxas, "she sounds just like the girl from my dreams, she's always drawing, the one whose name I can never remember, and I'm the one person the boss won't let her meet. This sucks!"

"Hey, you've always got Xigbar!" Axel creased up, and Roxas smacked him over the head, both angered and slightly embarrassed. "S'OK, Rox. Xem didn't say you could never meet her just not till we've got Sora on side! Anyway, I don't know what you'd talk about, 'cos she doesn't, but I guess you don't have to talk," he finished, winking at Dem, and ducking in case Roxas hit him again, which he did. In an attempt to placate him, Axel said, "You know what? In the meantime I'll video her for you with that camera you bought me, how about that?"

Roxas just nodded, looking quite excited for someone trying to slurp up a wayward piece of spaghetti. Axel who really had a wicked sense of humour, couldn't resist one last dig, "Just don't tell Xig!" He ducked again but it wasn't necessary as Roxas was now choking on his pasta.

Demyx thoughtfully slapped him on the back. "Don't mind Axel, you know what he's like. The only time his mouth isn't causing a problem is when it's kissing me!" he said sticking his tongue out at Axel, which was all the invitation Axel needed. Roxas really was beginning to feel like the third wheel by the time they had finished mauling each other.

Lunch service was also over, as the staff made discreetly clear by bringing them the bill and beginning to pull down the outside shutters.

"Well, guys, it's been great. I'm back to miss Namby-Pamby and you two are back to the fun! Hey, Dem, I've just had a thought! An absolute brainwave, in fact! I can't come back home till the mission's over, and I know Rox can't come to Castle Tedious, or Xem would go even more mental than he actually is, but if you're not on a mission, what's to stop you coming?" he asked the blond.

Demyx looked thoughtful. "You know, it could work, but Xem would throw a fit if he found out. He may not have said it exactly, but I think the idea is to keep us all separate for the time being."

"Well, as long as you portal directly into my room, he won't know. I've debugged it and since he appointed me his bugger at the castle..." he stopped since Roxas and Demyx had both creased up, as Axel did when he realised the implication of what he had just said.

When he had breath to continue, he carried on, "...I'm not putting them back! Oh, and don't wear your robe, it has a micro-cam hidden in it, found mine the first evening, but if we remove them he'll know and just issue us with new robes, it's easier to work round them."

Demyx had been about to say that if he was going straight to Ax's room from his own, he didn't see that he needed any clothes, when he felt his phone vibrating. Roxas was already whipping his out to check.

"Meeting, says most urgent. We've got to go. See you soon, Ax, and don't forget to video Namine for me," said Rox as he quickly hugged his friend, and portalled.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Dem," said Axel, forehead to forehead once again with the blond.

"Loads of room for manoeuvre then," chuckled Demyx.

"Call me as soon as you get free time! I'll send you the exact co-ordinates for my room, just don't talk about it at the castle or in your robe, got it memorized?"

They kissed until Demyx phone began to vibrate again.

"Make it soon, I'll miss you!" shouted Axel after him, as he disppeared into black ether, and then, alone, he portalled back to Castle Tedious.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As for all previous chapters, I own nothing!

A/N: This is not the end, just the end of the beginning. I'm not sure right now whether the subsequent stuff will take the form of another long story or be episodic shorts. I'd appreciate any suggestions!

* * *

In The Beginning: Endgame

Back on the World That Never Was, the days fell into a kind of routine for the remaining residents. Missions were followed by downtime, followed by missions. Axel sent Roxas vids of Namine as promised, but not being able to see her in the flesh was getting him down. Roxas was going a bit off the rails during downtime. He was often very drunk, and usually woke up in somebody else's room, never quite sure how he got there, but pretty sure of what must have happened. The morning he woke up next to Saix, the Castle That Never Was, almost, never was any more. Xemnas blew a gasket and threatened all sorts of destruction on the heads of everyone. Saix eventually got him to come round after showing him all the hidden camera footage, proving Roxas had literally portalled in and immediately fallen fast asleep. Luckily, it didn't show intentions, because that had not been Saix's intention, he just hadn't really fancied another inert body, he already had Xemnas!

Axel and Demyx, had first managed to meet up a week after their lunch, in Axel's room at Castle Tedious. Demyx had portalled in, wearing rather surprising gear. He'd borrowed a garter that Lux had taken from some lap-dancing club and put it on, tucking his cellphone in. A little jiggery-pokery with a sheet that was now converted into a toga, and a wreath of leaves from Marluxia's gardens, completed his outfit.

"Guess who?" he asked a slightly surprised Axel, on arrival. "You don't guess, you don't get!" he teased, dodging as Axel reached for him, and then took up an ironman pose.

"Snow White!" offered Axel, in stitches. Demyx re-posed, pouting just slightly. "Wrong, and this isn't twenty questions!" snapped Dem.

"No, it just depends how badly I want whatever it is!" quipped Axel, now teasing him, causing Dem's colour to rise, and making him wonder if he'd been right to do this.

"OK then! Philoctetes!" suggested Axel. Dem knew Ax was now playing ball and began to enjoy the game. He re-posed again.

"Sod it, Dem! You're Herc, now get into bed! I, for one, have waited long enough for this!" he said as Dem bounded onto the bed, cellphone, wreath and garter flying, and kissed him.

"You're such a big kid, you know," said Axel, when they surfaced for breath.

"And you're not having a great time, old guy?" retorted Demyx, as he moved in for another kiss.

It wasn't till nearly an hour later that the proverbial dudu hit the proverbial fan. Axel had quickly discovered that Demyx didn't understand the meaning of the word quiet, at least, not in bed. His sheer enthusiasm was exhausting.

Unfortunately, Vexen, possibly venturing above ground for his first ever time at the castle, since he slept and worked in the basement here, was passing in the corridor, looking for Marluxia. Hearing squeals and screams of "There!...No!...Stop!...Yes, there!...You've got them!...Aaah! I'm slipping!...That tickles!" and thinking it must be Marluxia and Larxene, the only current couple in the place, he wandered in. He couldn't stand either of them and had no compunction about messing up their fun.

It didn't need a second look to tell him that it was not the couple he had thought. Axel was emerging from under his bed, no mistaking that hair, with Demyx's cellphone and garter in one hand, and was tickling his feet which were hanging over the side of the bed with the wreath he held in the other. He slipped quietly back out, and being one of the old guard, and knowing that Demyx had no place being there, he immediately went for his cellphone. The two lovers were so wrapped up in each other they hadn't even noticed him, coming in or leaving. The first they knew, was when their cellphones started to ring. Vex had been in his robe, and even without him ringing, Xemnas had already got a technicolour view of the scene.

"Dem, sweetie, I think we're in deep shit. The boss just texted me, 'Hightail it to my office now, AND BRING YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

"I've got the same message. You got a spare robe? I really don't want to go like this!"

"No, but I'll portal now. You go to your room first and change. How the hell did he find out? Personally I'd have said your amazingly loud vocals, but then we'd have got the call..." he dodged a pillow from a pouting Dem, "...earlier, much earlier! I'm mad as piss, I'll kill the bastard that did this, I promise!" and from Axel that was no idle threat.

Xemnas hauled Axel and Demyx over the coals, and banned Ax from leaving the castle at all, until the mission was over. Demyx's punishment was being sent on the kind of missions he most disliked, and obviously, being barred from Castle Oblivion. Their only contact now was over the computer, which they made the most of, Demyx even managing to put on mini-performances, between missions.

Xemnas was not happy with the way matters were progressing at Castle Oblivion. It really wasn't Axel's fault, he was doing exactly as he had been asked, now, but with extremely bad grace, and Larxene and Marluxia were doing exactly what he had expected. Unfortunately, things were unravelling slightly, due to unforeseen circumstances, which should never have happened. First, Riku had turned up, apparently pursued by Xem's own Heartless, who should not have been able to self-resurrect, then Vexen had had the nerve to clone Riku, (like one wasn't enough), to get one over on Marluxia.

Zexion, he noted, had to get his head out of his books more, and be made to pay more attention at meetings, the guy didn't appear to have any idea why he had been sent to Oblivion! Getting him out of Vexen's pants was no longer a problem after a few too many lovers' quarrels, and he and Lex seemed to be getting on pretty well, for them; Zex rambled for hours about stuff from his books and Lex tuned out! Maybe he should get Lex to talk to him! Watching all the footage, hour after hour was making him tired, and also meant Saix was virtually running the place, when he wasn't having run-ins with Xigbar. All of which meant they rarely got to spend any time together, or that little tart Roxas would never have got into Saix's bed, he thought angrily.

Axel was also angry. As soon as he had returned, he had reviewed all the bug footage, until he saw the one of Vexen in his corridor, entering his room, and leaving on his cellphone. 'Your days are numbered', Axel thought, and wondered how to achieve his goal - and - sell it to Xemnas, who came down badly on private vendettas. He never imagined that the pink-haired poodle and insectwoman would hand him the excuse on a plate, and yet that's exactly what had happened! Oh fun, oh joy, he was so going to make the most of this!

When Xemnas found out, on the other hand, he was less than delighted. The reasoning Axel gave him made sense, it got the traitors to trust him. However, Xemnas strongly suspected that Axel had found out who had grassed, and was using this as an excuse to get his revenge. He would miss Vexen, the pedantic academic had not been pleasant but he had been loyal and useful and it meant they would now be short of a scientist and a medic!

A few days later, he was seriously debating whether to recall Axel, who was being a major pain since he couldn't see his boyfriend, and seemed to have some personal agenda now, or just send Saix to cool things down, when his computer received one of the little coded messages Axel liked so much, and he immediately switched on all cameras simultaneously. Everything was, according to Axel, going to Hell in a basket; a cold sweat broke out over him as he watched events he never wanted to see unfold in front of him.

For the first time, in his Nobody existence he felt out of control, he didn't even want Saix to see him this way. What was that stupid brat Zexion doing now? What had possessed him to leave a psycho like Axel at that castle, dissatisfied? As he watched the monitors, as if in slow motion, he saw one member after another falling to Sora, or one of the Rikus, and that goddamn interfering mouse. What the hell was Axel playing at? Didn't he understand his mission either? Or was he too upset about the blond he was screwing to care? He switched from screenshot to screenshot – where the hell was Axel, and what was that bloody girl doing with Sora? Where were they going? That man with Riku, he knew that voice like his own, he had known it was bad news when the guy had gone missing. Hours must have passed, but he didn't feel anything but numb. They were screwing up everything!

'Get a grip,' he thought, as he felt Saix portal in with their dinner.

"Xem? Is something wrong?" he asked, seeing the look on his lover's face.

"No! Everything's wrong! We've lost Marls, Larx – OK, no loss there, Vexen, Lexaeus and that stupid brat, Zex. Axel has disappeared, Sora has gone somewhere with Namine, and our old boss is back stirring the whole mix!" Xem finished, hysterically.

"Hey, calm down, that can't all have happened, and we knew that some of them would not be coming back from that place!"

He rewound the footage and looked at the monitors. Realisation dawned and he, too, could only look on in horror.

"OK, Xem, it's bad! But it isn't the end! So, we haven't got Sora..."

"...or Namine, wait...no...there she is with Riku...and there they both go with that arsehole, Ansem the Prize, or whatever he's calling himself these days. Where are they going? Where are the cameras? Where the hell is Axel?" screeched Xemnas, his voice ever higher in both pitch and volume.

"Xem," Saix cajoled, slipping his arms round his lover's waist, "we've still got Roxas! We can manage without that Sora kid, at least until we find him again! Namine was always a bit of an unknown quantity and liability! Don't do this to yourself!" He planted a kiss on Xem's forehead as you would to an upset child.

"Xem, answer your phone," he said, feeling it vibrating in the pocket of his robe. "Fine, I'll do it!" he said as Xemnas remained immobile in his arms, and he fished it out.

"Xem, it's an emergency text from Axel. He did an emergency portal but because he was so weak from the fight it's gone wrong. He's caught in some dimension he doesn't know, and can't portal again. He did his job..."

"...that's what you think!"

"...and we're low enough on numbers. I'm going to fetch him back. I know you're upset by all this but you can't blame him for the appearance of Ansem, Riku and the stupid mouse, and you can't expect him to have taken them all on solo! Let him recuperate, see his boyfriend again, and then you can test his loyalty, if you still need to!" Saix kissed his hero on the top of his head and was gone.

Several days, and meetings later, not ones that Axel had even been asked to attend, given the state he was in, at the no longer properly staffed infirmary. Xig had done what he could but he was a meta-physicist originally not a biologist, and his knowledge of what to reconnect to what, was done from intuition rather than learning. Luckily for Axel, Xig's intuition wasn't bad at all. By the time his first visitor arrived, he could have sat up but chose to pretend he was asleep instead. After all, he really did not want to talk to Xemnas, who he currently really couldn't tolerate.

Saix came the next day, and got a stunted thank-you, Ax knew he owed him his life, but he still couldn't stand the guy. Xemnas tried again, only to find Axel 'sleeping'. It was only after a full week, when Dem and Rox were finally allowed in, at Xig's suggestion, that Axel decided to 'come to' properly. In fact he nearly leapt out of bed!

"Lazy bastards! Why didn't you come before? Please don't tell me Xig wouldn't let you in, 'cos that's BS! The guy is so nice right now he even deals with my pee! Yesterday, I actually thought I might have felt guilty, for a moment anyway, for how I used to goad him!"

"Nah, you idiot," said Dem diving in for a welcome back smooch, "it's our brainless leader and his blue bugger that kept everyone out, until you've been debriefed. Clever Xiggy here told him you might never fully come round if you didn't see us, so...TaDah! We get in. Everyone's dying to see you, 'specially Lux, he wants to explain a lot, and Xal's replaced your iPod and your camcorder. We've taken over Marl's garden and we're growing..."

"...Flowers," chipped in Roxas, digging Dem in the back. Now was not the time to tell Axel they were growing a plant Xaldin had found on one of his trips, that the local medicine men used to help retrace the past. Ax had a thing about drugs, he seemed to remember, and he wouldn't understand how it helped Rox to remember things. Ax remembered who he had been and where he had come from, and everything, like Dem did. Rox didn't have that, he didn't have Sora's past, his was completely different, and somehow, unreal, and now, with Namine and Sora both gone, it was the only thing that helped, and friend or no, he wasn't about to have that blown.

Xig came in. "That's it guys. Numero Uno says if they can talk to you...blah blah blah! Ax, our great leader is on his way, this time you can't be 'asleep', or his paranoid self will smell a rat! Deal, you're good at it!"

Axel hugged his friends, sneaking a quick snog with Dem, and let them go as Xemnas portalled in.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Ax. Bye you three," he added, waving his hand to indicate they should all disappear.

"Ax, I know you think you were unhappy there, but you weren't, we're not able to feel that way. Maybe you were a little dissatisfied or frustrated, minor emotional memories, but ultimately you came through. Hell, you nearly gave your life. I am not unhappy with your performance, just a little unclear. I understand why you got rid of Vexen, I know it was nothing personal," he gave Axel his most enigmatic look, which then switched to slightly puzzled, "but why did you abandon the others, not Marluxia and Larxene, but Lex and Zexy? What had they done?"

"Xem, it wasn't a choice, I honestly didn't know all of the shit that was going on down below. No-one shared, and they weren't part of the conspiracy, so I didn't dig. I realised, maybe a bit too late, that Sora was too much for me, I had no idea then where Lex and Zexion were, so I portalled, for all I knew they'd come back here. I knew Sora would be too much for anyone else too, so I knew he'd deal with Marluxia. I banked on it. Nothing went down the way it was supposed to, extra things and people kept being thrown into the mix. Personally, I think Marls and Larx screwed it up from the beginning with Namine. The way they treated her provoked her into developing a conscience, and after that, it was really her game – and then to top it all, she got help! It was a mess. I barely escaped with my life, such as it is, and I deserve some serious downtime with my friends." He nearly added "Got it memorized?" but managed to bite it back in time, for once.

"Axel, I don't disagree. Everyone needs a break now. We all need to regroup. Plan our next strategy. We will move cautiously, find out where Sora has gone, and Riku, and my old boss, and that damn mouse, and Namine. We will not allow them to surprise us again. Next time we will be ready. We've lost a battle, but we can wait a little longer to win the war for Kingdom Hearts. I doubt they are in a position to move on us either, anytime soon. We may need to recruit to fill in the gaps. At the moment though time is on our side, and I have ordered a week off for everyone. Then we shall see. I'll let the others back in now. Make a speedy recovery!" Xemnas got up from the end of the bed where he had been sitting, and portalled out. Immediately, two blonds raced in, and dived back onto the bed!

"So, spill!" begged Roxas, "What did bugalugs have to say?"

"Hey, you guys, sick man here, recent near death situation, give me some space!"

They moved back a fraction of an inch!

"Just the usual BS! I've never met anyone so sincere about something sound so insincere as he always does, and I think he knows why I really killed Vexen. D'ya know, it really is a gift to be able to drone on like that!" observed Axel, sarcastically.

"Did he tell you we've all got a week off?" asked Demyx.

"Yeah, I think this whole debacle has shaken him up a bit."

"Well, my point is, I don't want to spend a week in here with you, they don't even have curtains round the beds!" observed Demyx.

Axel laughed and Roxas rolled his eyes. "Dem, do you ever think of anything else?"

"Er, not since Ax came back, no!" admitted Dem, grinning. Roxas rolled his eyes again.

"Ax, do you have any idea what happened to Namine?" Roxas had been desperate to ask that question since Axel's return.

"Well, she started talking!" Roxas punched him. "Truthfully, no kid I don't! She's around somewhere, and I think she's OK. More than that...." Axel trailed off, sorry that his friend looked so downcast.

"Rox, if you're meant to meet her, you will. You couldn't even have known about her if you didn't have some kind of linked fate. I couldn't tell her about you but I think she sensed something. We'll find her again, promise! In the meantime, if you two lumps will get off me, I can get up, and after the best lunch ever at our favourite place, I intend to make Demyx very happy! I hope you've got plans for the afternoon Rox!" he chuckled, as he pushed them both backwards.


End file.
